#guys i did not look up an image of thomas’ living room

[orbch]

​good ol fashioned sleepover and movie night with the voices in your head

[denimbex1986]

'When renowned screenwriter Steven Knight set about formulating what would become one of his best creations, the modern gangster classic television series Peaky Blinders, he had a very important choice to make. He already had his main character fully fleshed out: Thomas Shelby, an ambitious, emotionally shut off war veteran who conducts himself like he's already dead and living on borrowed time. Knight was deliberating between two very different actors when deciding who best had the skills to embody Shelby. One of these men was an icon of the Irish acting scene, able to be in almost any kind of film you can imagine. The other was an icon of the rough and tumble action film scene, equally capable of fighting off sharks and jump-kicking down doors. It was the matchup nobody could have foreseen, Cillian Murphy vs. Jason Statham.

A Text to Steven Knight Gave Cillian Murphy the Upper Hand Over Jason Statham

Knight has told the story that he was torn between going with either of these two masters of the brood and the grumbling voice. According to The Independent, he said that he "met them both in LA to talk about the role and opted for Jason...because physically in the room Jason is Jason." You have to imagine that what he means by this is that Statham is a very impressive physical specimen in person, and that his tough guy persona is not entirely an act. Knight followed up by mentioning how Murphy "isn't Tommy, obviously, but I was stupid enough not to understand that." In his defense, Murphy is an incredibly soft-spoken and gentle soul, leagues away from the calculating killer Knight was looking for.

Seemingly sensing a disturbance in the Force, Murphy decided to pull a true giga-Chad move to ensure he'd get the role. Knight said that one day he received a text from Murphy, and what did that text say? "Remember, I'm an actor." At that moment, Knight realized that Murphy "can transform himself. If you meet him in the street, he is a totally different human being." Knight was finally able to see past Murphy's introverted exterior and realize he had what it took to live up to the Peaky Blinders standard.

Jason Statham Is Best as a Likable Action Star

This is no shade whatsoever to Statham — who has his own certain set of skills he brings to the table — but he could not bring to Thomas Shelby what Murphy did. While it's true that Thomas is a ruthless man who's killed before and has it in him to kill again, he is above all else a politician at heart. He is strategic in his methods, completely closed off in his emotionality even to his own most beloved family members, and ruthless in who or what he will use as collateral in order to get what he wants. If ever there was a modern anti-hero of deeply questionable morality to rival the likes of Tony Soprano or Walter White, it's Thomas Shelby.

While Jason has played his fair share of guys who aren't afraid to kill people or do continuously insane things just to stay alive, he is almost always portrayed in a totally positive manner. He is the modern day equivalent of a Charles Bronson or a Steve McQueen, the likable gruff hero who is always up against meaner, more overtly evil enemies. Don't get it twisted — he's great in these roles, as his combination of street knowledge and his comfort with quips make him the rare action star that feels equally at home in both types of flicks. He can be both the hardened badass in Parker or Wrath of Man, but also be a more humorous and slapstick version of his persona in films like Spy or The Expendables.

There are two downsides to the image he's maintained. For one, there's a noted pressure for action stars to continue to do roles that keep their core fanbase happy. People like Jason Statham because they want to see him do Jason Statham-type roles, and taking a chance on a more outside-the-box character like Thomas could be seen as a risk for his career. Second, there's always an underpinning of likability to his characters — almost to a fault. No matter what he does, we always feel like the movie is approving of his actions, with rare exceptions. Even his most prominent villain role, Deckard Shaw in the Fast and Furious saga, had to become a full-fledged good guy at some point because audiences loved seeing him on-screen and interacting with the main cast so much. Audiences feel compelled to be on his side, regardless of the consequences.

Cillian Murphy Can Better Embrace the Small Scale

As Murphy himself professed, he is "an actor," which is an understatement if ever there was one. Cillian Murphy has steadily built a reputation for himself as one of the consummate actors of our time, slipping from super villain, to Irish freedom fighter, to space captain with an impeccable ease. Plus, despite Knight's hesitations over picturing Murphy as such a tough threat like Thomas, Murphy has actually had a great history of playing men of imposing force. Think of his terrorist Jackson Rippner holding Rachel McAdams hostage and surviving getting stabbed in the throat with a pen in Red Eye, or the steadily increasing violence and chaotic behavior of one of his earliest roles in Disco Pigs, or even the coke snorting, gun toting, walking red flag that is Tom in The Party. These may not be muscular bruiser types that can knock heads together with ease like Statham can in his sleep, but they are men who are all full of murderous drive, and know how to keep themselves composed and proper in various social circles, while also projecting a sense of constant calculation and the ability to hide true emotions from everyone in the room except the audience.

To make a long story short, Murphy can carry a scene in a smaller scale register than Statham can. If we see Murphy sit like a stone for an entire scene watching everyone else, we read this as him gathering knowledge, playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers. If Statham does the same, we expect him to find the right time to interrogate someone or get what he wants through sheer fisticuffs, or perhaps even find a way to witty banter his way out of the situation. While Statham can be a quite stern actor himself, his is more a barreling full force kind of focus, like a determined dog chasing a car. The ambiguous and slippery nature of Murphy's temperament is much more fitting for the kind of expert power player that Thomas Shelby winds up being.

Thomas Shelby’s Casting Came Down to a Matter of Fit Above All Else

None of this is to cast any aspersions on Statham's abilities as an actor, but instead to highlight that he simply wasn't as good of a fit as Murphy. Statham bringing a lot of charisma and physical threat to a starring role is great for a slice of pulpy fun like Safe, but not as fitting for a multi season character study of a broken man manipulating the world around him to do what he thinks is right, even if that means potentially turning against his own trusted allies. That kind of moral confusion and ping ponging of conflicting motivations and actions is much more suited to an actor like Murphy, as there's simultaneously no audience pressure on him to fulfill the role of a standard likable hero and more freedom for him and the writers to explore the darker potential of the character in a way that feels honest to the material. It's important to keep in mind that ultimately, it's not a matter of getting the biggest actor for the role, but the right actor. Cillian Murphy was the right man for the job, by order of the Peaky f***ing Blinders.'

[lyranova]

Children of the Future: Shadows of the Past

Chapter 3: No Rest for the Wicked

Hiya guys! So here’s chapter 3, I’m really enjoying this series so far and I hope you are too! I’ll try and get back on my other one’s shortly since I’m starting to miss them a bit (I also need to get back on writing requests 😭!) but I do apologize if this chapter is written funny or if there’s a lot of typos or anything, I’m having to write on a computer due to my hands and I’m not used to it. Also Corduroy and Chenille belong to my mutual @hybridanafrost and I thank her for allowing me to use them 🥰! I hope you all enjoy~!

Word Count: 3,263

Warnings: None

———

Later That Same Day

Yami silently flew to the Hideout. His mind just kept going back to the memory of William coughing in the hallway and looking pale. They both knew he was lying when he said he was fine, or that he would be fine. But Yami hadn’t wanted to call him out on it, William needed time to accept it himself and tell his son just how sick he really was and he was going to give his old friend that. Yami sighed and rana hand over his tired face, how he wished he hadn’t quit smoking right now.

He finally landed outside the much expanded Hideout. Over the years, as the Black Bulls each got married and began having their own families, Yami had asked Henry to give everyone their own living space. That way the Bulls could all be together but also have some privacy. And so far it had worked out very well, but now that meant the Hideout had expanded up and out in order to accommodate them all.

But Yami and the others didn’t mind. Because it meant they could all stay together.

Yami set his broom down against the wall of the Hideout before he moved towards the front door. Before he even opened the door he could already hear all the chaos and laughter happening on the inside, he couldn’t help but smile a bit. This is something he had always wanted for his brats; them to be safe, happy, and laughing.

He opened the door and immediately had to dodge a misdirected spell that came at him. He sighed and shook his head before he moved out of the way and closed the front door. The ones sparring were, as usual, Luck and Magna. Even as those two idiots got older they still sparred like they were teenagers. Meanwhile Magna’s kids Corduroy and Chenille just watched, Chenille with a nervous look on her face, and Corduroy with a grin on his face.

“ Wow dad you’re so cool!” Cory shouted as he watched his dad dodge one of Luck’s spells, Magna turned and gave his son a thumbs up.

“ Thanks son, that means a lot!” But as soon as the words left Magna’s lips he immediately got hit by one of Luck’s spells.

“ You shouldn’t have taken your eyes off your target Magna!” Luck laughed cheerfully as Magna growled.

“ I should have gone with mom to the fabric store,” Chenille said quietly.

Yami shook his head once again before he looked around the room. Henry’s daughter Alice was sitting on the couch, quietly reading the same book that she always read. Despite inheriting her fathers magic, luckily she hadn’t inherited her fathers illness so she could freely be around the other Bulls without the fear of siphoning their mana. Beside her was Aloys Adlai, who was also reading a book, he was exactly like his father but with his mothers magic. Beside him was Wendy Agrippa, Gordon’s eldest child and only daughter, she was sewing a doll just like father always did. She had the face of her mother, but her eyes and hair color were that of her fathers, and her magic was a variation of her fathers. On the other side of the room was Wendy’s younger twin brothers Thomas and Nicholas, they were the spitting image of their father in appearance and, in Nico’s case, magic as well. Thomas kept his hair slicked back like his father, while Nico kept his hair messy, that was the only way to tell them apart. The two were talking and playing with Maelie Adlai.

Yami heard a shout in the kitchen and watched Charmy and her daughter Lovely walk out with a group of sheep following shortly after. They had plates and plates of food and were setting them out onto the table. Lovely had inherited her fathers blue hair color and her eyes were the same color as her mothers, her younger brother Vincent followed behind all the sheep and began to set out the drinks. He didn’t like cooking or food as much as his mother and sister did, but he had inherited his fathers love of art and painting. Vincent’s hair was black like his mothers but his eyes were pink like his fathers.

Yami still had a hard time believing that Charmy had fallen in love with Rill Boimortier even though it had been nearly 15 years now since they had gotten married.

“ C-Captain Yami sir, you’re back already!” Ezio Roulacase exclaimed as he ran over. The young man looked identical to his mother, but his personality and magic was the same as his fathers.

“ Of course I am, did you expect me not to come back at all?” Yami asked with a raised brow, Ezio’s demeanor immediately grew nervous and he shook his head.

“ N-No sir! We just thought the meeting would run late.” Ezio said with a sheepish laugh.

“ How did Asta do at his first meeting?” Vanessa asked as she walked over. Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at their Captain. He grinned at them.

“ He did great, so you guys can stop you’re worrying.” Yami told them and he heard everyone collectively sigh in relief. He knew everyone had been anxious and had wanted him to do well, so now that they had confirmed that he did, they all felt a weight fall off their shoulders.

“ At least we know we raised him well,’’ Finral said with a laugh as he walked over to his son and wife. Yami nodded, they all had raised Asta well.

“ Where’s my brats?” Yami asked curiously, he saw everyone else’s kids but his own. Charmy suddenly pointed towards the back door with her thumb.

“ They’re outside with Ms. Charlotte,” She said as she watched their Captain make his way towards the door. “ Tell them to hurry up and come inside since dinner’s ready!”

Yami walked outside and saw Hikari sparring against her mother as Hana and Einar watched. He crossed his arms as he silently watched his wife and eldest daughter, they looked nearly identical in their fighting styles, except Hikari had adopted a lot of Yami’s fighting style as well. She was like the perfect blend of her mother and father. Yami was pulled out of his thoughts as he noticed Einar turn to look at him.

“ Papa!” The young boy shouted excitedly as he jumped up and ran towards his father. He jumped into his arms and Yami held him.

“ Hey kid,” Yami said warmly. “ Who’s winning so far?” He asked and Einar grinned.

“ Mama of course! Tata’s still trying her best, but she’s still always losing against her.” Einar said with a sad look on his face, he always called Hikari ‘Tata’, apparently it meant “Big Sis” in the Diamond Kingdom. At least that’s what one of Einar’s favorite books told him.

“ But mama’s not going easy on her anymore, and Hikari’s still managing to hold her own,” Hana stated as she walked over to her father and brother. Yami nodded, it was no surprise that Charlotte had stopped taking it easy on their daughter. She was a Vice-Captain now, and had proven that she was a fierce and capable warrior. So there was really no need to take it easy on her.

One of Charlotte’s Briar spells hit Hikari’s katana and kocked her back a few feet. Hikari was huffing and puffing while Charlotte hadn’t even broken a sweat.

“ I’m…not done yet,” Hikari panted as she doubled over to try and catch her breath. “ I still…need to surpass my limits!” Hikari continued, and Yami shook his head.

She had certainly adopted Yami’s stubbornness.

“ Hey brat,” Yami shouted, drawing both Charlotte and Hikari’s attention to him. “ You can surpass your limits after you get something to eat! Charmy said if you didn’t come inside and eat you’d never get another meal from her!” Yami added, of course Charmy didn’t actually say any of that. But he knew it was a sure fire way to get Hikari to stop training. As he expected the girl sighed dramatically before she put her katana away.

“ Alright, alright, I’m coming! Sheesh tell Charmy to hold her sheep.” Hikari grumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck, mimicking her fathers habit. Yami chuckled as he set Einar down and the young boy ran to his sister.

“ Take your brother and sister inside, I gotta talk to your mom for a sec.” Yami told her, his eldest daughter nodded and he ruffled her hair gently as she and her siblings walked past him and into the house.

Charlotte frowned a bit as she walked up to her husband, she didn’t need to be able to read Ki to notice something was wrong with him. His eyes held a seriousness in them, and maybe a hint of sadness and worry in them too. Had the meeting gone that badly?

“ What’s going on? Did Asta’s first meeting not go well?” She asked in concern, Yami quickly shook his head.

“ Nah the brat did fine,’’ Yami quickly assured her. “ It’s William. He…announced that he was retiring as Captain.”

Charlotte’s eyes widened in surprise, sure he had mentioned it the day before at the party, but she didn’t really think he would go through with it!

“ What? What made him decide to do this so suddenly?”

“ He’s sick Charlotte, very sick.�� Yami said softly, and he swore he watched her eyes widen more and her eyebrows raise considerably.

“ Did…he say what was causing it?”

“ Nah, he said he needs time. So I’m gonna give him a while before I start pushing for answers. He asked that you and I not tell anyone until he’s ready.” Yami said and Charlotte nodded in agreement, they would both keep their friends secret for now.

“ And,” Yami continued. “ He’s appointing his kid as Captain.” He watched as his wife shrugged at him.

“ Okay.” Was all she said, she didn’t look angry or concerned, she actually looked like she had expected it.

“ You’re not worried at all? What if that brat loses control again and hurts someone, or worse, gets someone killed?” Yami asked as he crossed his arms, he watched his wife do the same.

“ Since when did you hold a persons mistake against them?” She asked curiously. She watched a red blush appear on Yami’s cheeks. She knew exactly what this was all about, and it had nothing to do with Alistar.

“ He won’t hurt Hikari, besides they’re not even in the same squad so the chance of her getting hurt by him is very slim. And in addition to that, Alistar’s gotten much better at controlling his emotions which also means his magic is under better control. It’ll be fine,” Charlotte assured him. “ And if for some reason it’s not, and he does happen to lose control and injures her, I’ll kill him myself.” Charlotte added firmly and Yami couldn’t help but snort and laugh at her words.

People thought he was the more overprotective of the two, but in reality, it was Charlotte who was the overprotective one.

Eventually the couple went inside to have dinner with the rest of the squad.

—-----

At The Golden Dawn Base

Alistar yawned quietly as he followed his father out of his office, down the stairs and corridors, and eventually outside. William had told him that he needed to tell him something privately and that he would need some help to do it, which meant only one thing: They were going to visit his mother’s grave.

Alistar didn’t like going to visit her mother very often. It wasn’t because he didn’t love her or anything, it was just…hard since he had been the one who caused her to be in the graveyard in the first place.

As the two walked into the graveyard and made their way to Zera’s grave Alistar used his plant magic to conjure up a small bouquet of flowers. You couldn’t show up empty handed, his father had said.

The two eventually made it to her grave and stood in front of it, William knelt down and placed the flowers on her headstone.

“ I’m sorry it’s been a while dear, I hope you haven’t been too lonely.” William said softly as he stood back up.

“ Hi mom,” Alistar said a birt sheepishly. “ It’s been a while, I’m sorry.” He apologized softly and William chuckled.

“ Your mother would understand. She knows how nusy we Magic Knights are, especially when they’re a Vice-Captain such as yourself.” William said as he patted his sons shoulder comfortingly.

The two fell quiet after a few moments. William, unsure of where to begin, and Alistar unsure of what was going on. It wasn’t very often that his father would ask to speak with him privately, the last time they had a discussion like this was when he promoted Alistar to Vice-Captain status.

“ What’s going on father, did something happen at the meeting?” Alistar asked, a tinge of concern in his voice. William smiled and shook his head.

“ No, it’s nothing like that. The meeting went very well, and I think Asta will make a fine Wizard King.” William said genuinely. Alistar nodded in agreement, he didn’t know Asta as well as everyone else did but, from what he had seen, Asta really was an amazing and kind person.

“ If the meeting went as well as you say it did then what do we need to talk about?” Alistar asked with a small frown and William sighed, silently asking his wife’s spirit to give him strength.

“ I-” William began but was cut off by the sound of a familiar static noise. The two men turned and saw Marx’s face staring at them.

“ Ah Captain and VIce-Captain Vangeance there you are, I was looking for you all over the place!” Marx said in relief, but his eyes began to move around as he noticed where Alistar and William. “ Um, is now a good time? I can go to another squad-?”

“ What is it Marx?” William asked patiently, he couldn’t help but be silently thankful that the memory mage had interrupted them.

“ Ah right, well,” The man cleared his throat. “ I just received word of a remote village being attacked by bandits. And supposedly these bandits are former Magic Knights. So the village leader requested our assistance. I thought maybe The Golden Dawn and the Black Bulls would like to take it on as a joint mission.” Marx finished as he looked between the two.

William noticed his son’s light up just a bit at the mention of the Black Bulls. Of course the young man was able to hide his feelings from everyone else, but he wasn’t good at hiding them from his father.

“ We’ll take the mission, but,” William said before he turned to look at Alistar. “ Alistar will be the one to lead them and will get to choose the members he wants to take along.” He watched his son’s blue eyes widen in surprise.

“ What? Why? Shouldn’t you be the one to lead this kind of mission?” Alistar asked in confusion as Marx quietly agreed with William’s statement before disappearing. William smiled gently before clapping his son on the shoulder.

“ Consider this your first real mission as the newly appointed Captain of the Golden Dawn.” William said before he turned around and began to walk away, leaving Alistar to stand there completely stunned.

“ Come on Captain Alistar Vangeance, you need to hurry up and head out.” William called as he noticed his son hadn’t snapped out of his daze. The young man quickly shook his head before nodding and running after his father.

—-----

In The Spade Kingdom

Yuno, Neva, and their three children quietly walked into the Castle with their guards and Castle servants behind them. Yuno hadn’t wanted servants when he first became king, but after a while he realized just how much they did to help the Royal family and keep things in order. So when Yuno officially became king he immediately raised all their wages to reflect how much he appreciated them and their hard work.

“ Your Majesties!” Ralph saluted as he and the others watched them walk by. Yuno instantly waved their salutes away.

“ You didn’t need to stay up and wait for us, you all should have gone to sleep.” Neva said quietly as she carried a sleeping Kya gently in her arms while Yuno carried Kito and Miku sluggishly walked beside her parents while holding each of their hands.

“ It’s alright, I had something urgent that I needed to discuss with King Yuno.” Ralph said with a serious expression, causing Yuno to frown.

“ It can’t wait until morning?” Yuno asked quietly, and when Ralph shook his head,he nodded before handing Kito off to one of his guards. “ Alright, I’m sorry about this,” Yuno added to his wife, who only smiled and shook her head.

“ It’s fine, just go do what you have to do.” Neva said softly in an understanding tone. Yuno smiled gratefully at her before he kissed his children on the head and gave Neva a gentle kiss on the lips.

Yuno quickly followed Ralph down the halls until they came to Yuno’s office. They walked over to the desk and Yuno looked down at a bunch of papers and maps that were sitting on the surface.

“ What’s all of this?” Yuno asked curiously and Ralph sighed.

“ Honestly we aren’t too sure ourselves. These coordinates are the last known locations of about 20 merchants that have gone missing in the last two weeks.” Ralph said seriously as Yuno’s brows raised in surprise.

“ 20 merchants in 2 weeks? How are we just now learning about this?” Yuno asked and Ralph shook his head.

“ We initially thought it may have only been a coincidence, or that people were making up false reports. Until we began noticing certain patterns,” Ralph suddenly began moving papers around until he found the right documents.

“ The merchants all had deliveries in the Lumi Kingdom?” Yuno asked with a frown as he began to read the papers over, and Ralph nodded.

“ That’s right. Now merchants go missing all the time due to the treacherous terrain that’s between us and Lumi, which is another reason we didn’t pay much attention to this, but according to these letters and other documents all the merchants that had been reported missing all made it to Lumi.” Ralph said as he began pointing at letters and receipts. Yuno’s frown deepend.

“ Are there any records showing that they left, or attempted to leave, Lumi? Maybe the merchants decided to stay there a while longer? Or maybe they died on the way back?” Yuno pointed out and Ralph shook his head.

“ That’s what I thought too. But from the witness statments and letters and documents it shows that all the merchants had plans to return to the Spade Kingdom. As for if they died on the way back, that’s someting I want to go and investigate if you’ll allow it. Things…just aren’t adding up, sir.”

Yuno placed a thoughtful hand under his chin as his mind began to race. Could there be something to this? Or was it just a simple missing persons case? His gut began screaming at him.

“ Investigate it. And ask for the Lumi Kingdom’s cooperation.” Yuno said seriously and Ralph nodded before saluting his King and walking out of the office. Yuno sighed quietly before he sunk down into his office chair.

Ther was certainly no rest for the wicked.

———

Thank you all so much for reading and I hope you all have a good day~!

[thisispurpleyam]

Shooting Stars and Pseudoscience [part 1]

Pairing: Nathan Bateman x Gianna (fem!OC) (poc!oc)

Rating: Mature 

Word Count: 6,222

Warnings: Sexual innuendos and curse words

Genre: Mostly fluff, some angst, eventual smut

Summary: Soulmate! AU Each person is born with a soul mark that is identical with their soulmate’s. Nathan Bateman thinks it’s all nonsense, but his soulmate doesn’t. As if the whole idea wasn’t ridiculous enough already, his soulmate is none other than the popstar who is currently Blue Book’s brand ambassador.

Notes: Click here to see how this idea came to be

Playlist

---

‘Former Blue Book Employee Calls Nathan Bateman an Insensitive Lunatic’

‘How a Week With Blue Book’s Owner Led a Computer Coder to Quit’

‘Blue Book’s Fall From Grace?’

“Have you seen these headlines?” Thomas, Nathan Bateman’s publicist, questioned. 

Nathan rolled his eyes at the image on his monitor. “Of course I have, but since when did we give a shit about gossip?”

“This isn’t just some gossip, this is a fucking PR disaster, Nathan!” Thomas exclaimed, flailing his hands in the air for emphasis. “These are statements from somebody who actually lived with you for a week! Somebody you handpicked but couldn’t even afford to be nice to. Do you understand how bad this is?

The scientist sighed in disinterest. “Not really, but you seem to think it’s pretty bad.”

“Would it kill you to give a fuck about public opinion for once in your life? Daily Mail, Yahoo News, People.com, they’re everywhere! If this bad publicity goes on, your company is gonna take the blow. There will be a decrease in sales.”

“Fine, what do you propose?”

“We get another celebrity brand ambassador to help promote the products Blue Book is about to launch.”

Nathan nodded noncommittally. “Who did you have in mind?”

“This was actually Monica’s idea, so she’ll take it from here.”

Monica, Nathan’s social media manager and Thomas’s wife, moved her seat closer to the computer and screen shared a PowerPoint presentation of news articles and social media accounts. 

 “Gianna? A popstar? That shit barely counts as real music,” Blue Book’s CEO complained. “Are we really that desperate?” 

“She has a clean reputation, a solid international fanbase, and a new album coming out,” Monica clicked onto the next slide. “She’s a sweetheart! She donates to charities, has a great network, and connects well with people. If she promotes your brand and the public sees the two of you getting along, it’ll really help soften the reclusive image you have going on.”

“It’s not an image, it’s a lifestyle.”

Monica exasperatedly shook her head at Nathan. “You know what? Lemme show you an example of what Caleb has been saying so you’ll see what I mean.”

“He’s narcissistic, condescending, and has probably never heard of hospitality,” Monica recited from an article she began screen-sharing. “He has a massive god complex and prefers the company of wires and gadgets over actual humans. In fact, that guy has had no real human interaction in ages, I won’t be surprised if he has sex with his own creations too.” 

“Okay, I get it!” Nathan sat back in his chair and crossed his arms. “The people think I’m a maniac, so we have to paint a more sympathetic image.”

“Look, you wanna live in some faraway estate all by yourself and be rude to your guest? Fine,” Monica gritted out in agitation. “You wanna create a perfect AI that you can have sex with? You do you. But what I can’t let you do is drag every other innocent Blue Book employee and their careers into this mess you’ve created.”

After heaving out a sigh, Nathan finally conceded. “Alright. Tell me what I have to do.”

*****

“That’s all for today,” the choreographer announced after the song concluded. “Great job, everybody!”

Gianna lingered for a bit in the dance studio to chat with the choreographer and her back-up dancers. She thanked them all before heading to the conference room for her meeting. When she entered the elevator, she redid her ponytail, did some quick minor touch ups, and gave her reflection another once over right before the elevator reached her stop. 

“Good afternoon, ladies!” Gianna cheerfully greeted as she walked into the conference room. 

Jillian, her personal assistant and long time friend, got up from her seat to give her a hug. “Hey! How did rehearsals go?”

Agnes, Gianna’s manager, stated, “I’m sure she killed it, as always!”

“If being out of breath counts as killing it, then yeah!” Gianna laughed in response.

Jillian smiled and pulled out a cup with a familiar logo. “I figured you must be tired, so I got you your favorite drink from your favorite cafe!” 

While the three continued to catch up, Krista, the singer’s publicist, and Dinah, her social media manager, trickled into the room and expressed their greetings as they took their seats around the table. 

“Apparently,” Agnes began when everyone in the team finally got situated, “Nathan Bateman’s team reached out to Krista and was asking if you could be their next celebrity brand ambassador.”

“They reasoned that since you’re already headlining at the launch of Blue Book’s music streaming service in two days, why not offer you a brand deal as well?” Krista elaborated. “Plus, working with such a well-known company could help bring your music to new audiences worldwide.”

“Did they say how long I had to decide?” The popstar inquired. 

“Until the end of the week,” her publicist answered. “Monica, Nathan Bateman’s publicist, also requested that I arrange plandid moments between you and Bateman for the cameras after your performance at the event. She said that being seen with you could sway the public into thinking, and I quote, ‘that he’s capable of making friends because they’re nice people and not because they can help with his research.’”

Gianna scoffed incredulously. “The caveman is coming out of hiding and needs my help? That can’t be good.”

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ve seen the articles,” Dinah mentioned in agreement.

“At this point, who hasn’t?” Gianna rhetorically asked. “It’s been known that he’s an arrogant egotistical prick, but to think he’d be rude to his own guest that he invited? Money really can’t buy class.” 

“Oh, you don’t even know,” Dinah stressed. “His team is struggling to curate a somewhat decent image of him. They can barely get him to show up to his scheduled public appearances.”

Upon hearing all that, Nathan’s difficult nature worried the singer even more. “Won't attaching my name to his brand hurt my image, then?” 

“Not really,” her social media manager reassured her. “Bateman might’ve gotten himself in trouble, but his company is still favored by the public. A lot of people on social media are only bad mouthing him and talking about how he doesn’t deserve a company full of good and honest workers.”

Gianna laughed dryly. “They got a point there.”

“If anything, they’d think that associating yourself with Bateman is public service.” Agnes handed Gianna several documents. “You already know that Blue Book is donating half of the money they’ll earn from the streaming service launch to Make-A-Wish Foundation. As for the two other products launching later this year, they’ve chosen to donate to RAINN and ASPCA.”

“If you agree to this brand deal,” Krista added, “they’re letting you pick a charity for each event and product you'll be attached to because they know how much giving back to the community means to you. And even though their new phone has already been launched, you still get your pick of charity since you’ll be modeling for the print ads.”

The singer mulled it over for a moment and mentally weighed the pros and cons. “Let’s do it.”

*****

‘Loneliness Caused Nathan Bateman to Make His Own Sex Robots?’

Nathan had recently landed in Los Angeles and was in the middle of getting ready for the launch when he came across another scathing article about him. He forwarded a link to his lawyer with a brief text that said, “call me.” Within seconds, he heard a familiar ring from his phone.

“Isn’t this a breach of the NDA?!” Nathan questioned as soon as he heard Kyle breathe on the line. 

“Hello to you too, Bateman.” Kyle then regretfully answered, “But no, it isn’t.”

Nathan adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose as he paced in his hotel room. “So we can’t pin him down?” 

“The second I caught wind of this news, I looked closely into the terms of your NDA and checked if there was anything Caleb violated. However, because he didn’t outright say anything and merely used a hyperbolic statement, he’s safe.”

“That son of a bitch!”

“Are you really surprised, though?” Kyle asked bluntly. “You experimented on the guy and almost got him killed.”

“You don’t say.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you?”

Nathan shook his head and heaved a sigh. “No, that’s all for now. Just…keep an eye out for me.”

“Will do. And Nathan?”

“What now?”

“Play nice. Don’t scare the popstar away.”

“Yeah, whatever.” 

Not long after the call ended, Nathan made his way to the elevator and pressed the button that would lead him to the event’s venue. The elevator doors hadn’t even completely opened yet, and he could already hear the boom of the music coming from the room. Walking through the foyer, he could tell how much his company outdid themselves. The team had decided on going for a futuristic themed party, and the whole place was transformed into a technological wonderland with a sprinkle of scientific motifs. The snacks were cut out like cell phones, speakers, radios, and other gadgets. The LED lights were shaped like headphones. The staff donned sparkly silver attires, and their trays held beaker shaped wine glasses and Earlenmeyer flask shaped cups. Glowing party cups contained the non-alcoholic beverages. His team even prepared stations where guests can get an immersive experience with the latest models of Blue Book’s devices. 

As Blue Book’s founder continued his tour of the venue, he noticed guests turning their heads and exchanging surprised remarks with their friends. Monica and Thomas decided that it was best to only tell a select number of people about Nathan’s arrival in Los Angeles to minimize the amount of damage he could potentially do to the paps. “Last thing we need is you cursing out a poor paparazzi or smashing his camera to bits,” Thomas brought up while they were discussing the plan. Only Gianna and her team knew the specifics while the staff of the launch party had barely been notified of his appearance a few hours prior. Thomas did make sure that there would be plenty of paps at the event, so if they didn’t know about Nathan Bateman’s presence, they were soon about to.

Nathan walked further into the room toward the location where a platform was set up and headed to his reserved seat near the stage. He made it just as Carina Garcia, a Latin pop singer who was scheduled to open for Gianna, was doing her last number. The audience applauded after Carina hit the final pose of the choreography, and she and her dancers cleared the stage as the host made his way back. The second he announced Gianna’s name, the crowd cried out in excitement and began chanting. Nathan looked back, puzzled as to what it was about the popstar that elicited such a reaction from the audience. 

Gianna and her backup dancers soon filled the stage as the opening instrumentals to her first number blared out through the speakers. The singer carried out the choreography flawlessly while skillfully executing each note, making sure to wave and wink at the crowd every once in a while. The pop star didn’t waste a single second of the time she was allotted. She showcases her versatility by singing songs in various styles such as several different sub-genres of pop, R&B, neo-soul, and house. Although Nathan had a different sonic preference, he was admittedly impressed by her musicality and lyricism. He wouldn’t dare say it out loud to anyone, but he was having fun at the show, particularly enjoying Gianna’s modern disco tune.

After the sixth song number, the music halted, and the dancers left the stage. A mic stand was brought to the middle, and Gianna took her place behind it. “Good evening, everybody! Thank you so much for having me.” The singer took a pause to catch her breath and have a sip of water while the audience cheered her on encouragingly. “Ever since I started doing live shows, I’ve made sure to always share a part of my culture by singing in my native language. These next two songs are very special to me as I wrote and co-produced both of them. I hope you enjoy them just as much as I do. And if by any chance you know the lyrics, please sing along!”

The first of the two was an alternative R&B track sung in Tagalog, her native tongue. He may not have understood the words, but he felt her sincerity. As he looked around the room, he noticed a handful of people mouthing the lyrics along with her, and he was suddenly awestruck by how music can resonate with people despite the language barrier. 

The next Tagalog tune was slower and had a more soulful feel. He noticed that she connected with the lyrics differently, and he was intrigued by the emotional vulnerability she exhibited as she poured her heart into the song. Its melody and musical arrangement had him so hooked that he felt an unusual sense of longing as the song came to an end. 

The dancers returned on the platform while upbeat instrumentals resounded through the speakers, and the mic stand was removed from the center stage. Nathan was so caught up in Gianna’s performance that he hadn’t noticed a bespectacled middle-aged woman taking a seat next to him until she spoke. “I’m Joan, your new personal assistant,” she coldly introduced herself. 

Nathan raised an eyebrow and scrutinizingly inspected Joan. “They hired somebody to babysit me?“

“Seeing how you almost died the last time you were left unattended, we all agreed it was necessary.”

The scientist laughed to himself, taken aback but pleased by the woman’s bluntness. “Touché.”

True to his assessment, Joan jumped right into business. “Gianna has two songs left to perform before she gets changed into more comfortable clothes. She’s going to meet you at the foyer. You need to grab at least one drink together and be seen having a chat over some snacks. That way, the meeting doesn’t seem like just a coincidental one-off thing, you wanna seem like you guys actually wanna be talking to each other.”

Nathan rolled his eyes and snorted. “You want me to spoon-feed the popstar too?” 

“You’re not required to do anything. You don’t even have to proceed with the plan. Just know that if you screw this up-”

“I know, I know.The company’s at stake, my poor employees.” Nathan shook his head as he huffed in annoyance, making his way back to the foyer.

*****

“You ready?” Jillian asked Gianna after the singer shed her costume in exchange for a more casual attire, a breathable and loose fitting romper. 

Gianna applied a lighter shade of lipstick and smacked her lips in front of the vanity before replying, “Now I am.”

Jillian looked at her friend a little more intently and raised her eyebrows. “You know what I meant.”

The musician shrugged as she prepared her purse. “I think so? 

“It’s not too late to back out, babes,” Agnes gently told Gianna. “Krista is in the middle of contacting the paps and finalizing a couple more details with Bateman’s team. If you’re not up for it, I can tell her to call the whole thing off.”

“You guys, it’s just one guy! Sure he’s richer and kind of a dick, but I’ll be fine! 

Dinah affectionately laughed at how concerned the girls were for Gianna and chimed in. “Nathan Bateman’s got nothing on our girl! She’ll put him in his place. Stop worrying so much!”

“Yeah!” Gianna affirmed confidently. “He’s just a cocky tech genius. How bad can it be?”

Cameras and compliments welcomed the popstar the moment she stepped out of the elevator doors. She made her way around the room to thank as many guests as she could, genuinely enjoying meeting new people and making her fans smile. When the buzz surrounding her arrival died down, Gianna then set her sights on the task at hand. She scanned the foyer and spotted the billionaire, sporting his usual polo and khaki pants attire, tinkering with one of the Blue Book phones on display. 

“That’s a great model, by the way,” Gianna remarked when she reached Nathan’s side, holding up her baby pink colored Blue Book phone. “Although, I do wish you had it in lilac.”

Nathan looked up from the display and carefully eyed the popstar. The CEO angled his body to face the singer, slightly tilting his head as he continued studying her wordlessly. Gianna’s gaze didn’t falter, defiantly raising her head and stepping closer to him in response. In reality, the entire exchange probably only took about 10 seconds, but it somehow felt much longer given the intensity of Nathan’s stare. 

Her entire demeanor transformed in a millisecond when she donned the sweetest smile she could offer to him as she extended her hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’m Gianna.”

“You’re shorter than I thought you’d be,” Nathan commented before shaking her hand. Even in her 5 inch heels, he still stood nearly a head taller than her despite only being 5’9. 

If it wasn’t for the slight crinkle of her nose and the fleeting furrow of her brows that marred her smile, her irritation would’ve been undetectable, a blink-or-you’ll-miss-it moment. “Well, aren’t you the charmer,” she replied, gripping his hand ever so slightly tighter. 

Nathan smirked and gripped her hand back, pulling her a little closer to him. “So you think I’m charming?”

Gianna finally released the handshake but kept her stance, folding her arms across her chest while maintaining a smile that contrasted her tone just in case any cameras were on them. “Says the guy who’s dressed like a Best Buy employee.”

So the popstar has some bite to her. “At least I know how to appreciate real music,” Nathan bit back challengingly.

“And here I thought you only knew how to appreciate the sound of your own voice.”

This is gonna be fun. “Would you appreciate a drink?” 

“Didn’t think you had good manners.”

Nathan placed a hand on the small of her back as he led the two of them to the open bar. “There’s no way heels like that are practical,” he voiced as he helped her up the bar stool.

“No, but as weapons? They can cause some serious damage.”

The bartender approached the pair, interrupting the question Nathan was about to utter. “You speaking from experience?” he said as soon as the bartender disappeared.

“Oh yeah. Broke a guy’s toe once for being a creep at a bar and kicked my stalker in the groin to teach him a lesson.”

“Good girl.”

Before Gianna could react, the bartender returned with their drinks in beaker shaped wine glasses. The singer wasted no time in grabbing hers so she could conceal the blush that crept up her cheeks. 

“Not a fan of red wine much, are you,” the CEO commented upon seeing Gianna’s expression after taking a sip 

“It’s not that. It’s just a little…” Gianna motioned with her left hand, struggling to find the right adjective. 

“Oaky? Smoky?” 

“Yeah, those! My bad, I just don’t drink much.”

“What? The popstar’s too good for drinking or something?”

“No, alcohol dries out the vocal cords. I kinda need them in tip top shape for my job.”

The billionaire simply hummed in response before taking another sip of his drink.

“Come on, let’s get to our final stop,” Gianna said, motioning to the snack table.

Nathan stood up and offered his arm to her, allowing her to steady herself while she descended the bar stool. 

“I was gonna commend you for your chivalry, but then I figured it must be the drink getting to you,” the singer quipped.

“Please, it’ll take a lot more drinks for me to get affected. Besides, I can’t have you falling on your ass and drawing any more unwanted attention.”

The popstar plastered an artificial smile on her face before a scowl could form. “How sweet of you!”

“So,” Nathan began after taking a bite from a boombox shaped cookie and making sure that no one else was in their vicinity, “how much did my reps pay you for you to agree to this deal?”

“This might be a little hard for your tech genius brain to comprehend, but not everything has to be motivated by money.”

“So you’re saying you didn’t get paid?”

“Now that’s unpaid labor, and I don't think you want to attract any more unwanted attention,” she answered, echoing his sentiments from earlier. “Least of all, from the law.” 

“Fine, don’t tell me your reasons. I’ll find out eventually.”

“I’m sure you will,” Gianna nonchalantly responded as she grabbed a laptop shaped cookie. She tilted her head and observed him appraisingly as she nibbled on her snack. She took another sip from her wine glass and continued examining the scientist. 

“Can I help you?” 

“I know you have your opinions on what the news says about you, but they do consistently get one thing right.”

“Which is?”

A cheeky grin took over Gianna’s face as she said, “You really do grow an impressive beard.”

Nathan skeptically narrowed his eyes at her, not buying the compliment one bit. “Oh yeah?” 

“Sure! It looks like a built-in chia pet.”

The billionaire was unable to hold in a chortle, shaking his head at the musician in amusement. “That’s creative. That’s actually so fucking creative, I’ll give you that.” 

*****

“Good work today,” Thomas told Nathan through the phone, genuinely relieved that the CEO followed the plan through. “Joan said you guys looked really convincing.” 

“You just reminded me,” Nathan brought up to his publicist, “if you’re gonna get me a guardian, it would’ve been nice to have been informed.” 

“If we did, would you have agreed?” his publicist retorted. 

“Probably not. Still, I could’ve prepared. Anyway, how much money did that popstar’s team demand from us?”

“They didn’t demand any. We offered her team $5 million at first, but they said that Gianna won’t attach her name to any brands unless it’s for a good cause.”

“So how’d you close the deal?”

“We settled on a $5 million deal plus a charity of her choosing for every product we have her endorse.”

“Huh. A popstar with a heart of gold.” Nathan mused, genuinely not anticipating the revelation. “It's good branding.” 

“Or, she could genuinely be a nice person. You should take notes.”

Not looking forward to another lecture, Nathan opted for a different topic. “So when do we know if the plan is actually working?”

“It’s working, alright. I’ll email you some photos Monica’s been putting together.”

Nathan set his laptop on the desk in his hotel room and did as much work as he could while he waited for his publicist’s email. It was nearly 11 pm, but he had yet to feel the urge to fall asleep. His body was having trouble adjusting to the new timezone, so he busied himself in hopes of self-inducing exhaustion. Several minutes went by before Nathan heard the ‘ping’ of his email notification that came from Thomas.

‘’No fucking way y’all. Nathan Bateman and THE Gianna are friends?! Maybe he’s not that bad”

“I’m not saying my queen can do no wrong, but if she thinks he’s worthy enough to be her friend, we may have misjudged him”

“Of course Gianna was able to uncover Nathan Bateman’s hidden friendly side.”

In the email, the publicist attached screencaps of people reacting to Nathan’s photos with Gianna on Twitter. The paps captured several moments between the billionaire and the singer, but the fan favorites seemed to be the one by the gadget display and the one by the snack table. Based on the photos alone, no one would be able to tell that the two had never spoken before, let alone that it was a rather tense first meeting. Gianna’s a pretty damn good actress, Nathan acknowledged. 

*****

Gianna felt the warm water of the hot tub soothe her aching muscles, leaning back and closing her eyes in contentment. She let out a long heavy sigh, grateful for the peace and quiet. It was a little over 11 pm, late enough for her to have the whole indoor pool to herself. As much as she loved her job, putting on choreography-heavy shows and constantly having to mingle with different crowds were no easy feats. Still, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. The soff buzzing of her phone distracted her from her reverie, and she reached over the edge of the hot tub to grab the device. 

“Hey girl! Sorry if it’s a little late. Just doing a last minute head-count for the party next week. Will I see you there?” Carina Garcia’s message read.

The singer smiled, relieved that the text notification was not work related. “Rinaaa! Of course I’ll be at your release party! I’ve been waiting for your album for ages!”

“Thank youuu! Hopefully we can collab soon! Also, you absolutely killed it tonight, as always.” 

Gianna heard the creak of the doors just as she was hitting send on her reply. She set her phone back down and prepared to interact with a guest who could potentially recognize her. She was met with disappointment, though, when she made eye contact with whoever walked through the doors.

“You gotta be fucking kidding me.” In front of the double doors stood Nathan who was clad in a sleeveless shirt and gym shorts while a towel hung over his shoulder. 

“You can’t ask me to leave. I was here first,” Gianna defensively stated, irritated that the billionaire’s presence was disrupting her peace. 

Nathan exhaled in annoyance as he strolled toward the hot tub. “I knew I should’ve had the whole place reserved.”

“That’s so excessive, why would you waste money on that?”

He set his towel down on a chaise lounge near the pool and pulled his tank top over head. “I’m Nathan fucking Bateman, I can do whataver I want.”

“That's a funny way of admitting you’re an overgrown toddler who doesn’t know how to share,” Gianna retaliated, averting her gaze from his (rather impressive) shirtless frame. He stepped in the hot tub and took a few steps closer to where Gianna was sitting.  “Hold up! Right there’s close enough”

“What, you think I got cooties or something?” Nathan quipped, settling down on the bench directly across from her.

“No, but there could be cameras around. We only need the public to think we’re friends, not hooking up too.”

Nathan smirked and smugly raised an eyebrow. “Would that be so bad? I think it’s a compliment, actually”

Gianna snorted and glared at him. “You wish, Bateman. I’d blame the jet lag, but it’s probably just your ego.”

“My team didn’t put me through hell reading thirst tweets on Buzzfeed just so you can doubt me.“

“They don’t teach anatomy in billionaire school, so I doubt you’ll even know how to give a woman an orgasm.”

“Would you like to test that theory? I could debunk it for you.”

“Absolutely not.” 

Nathan shrugged at her as if to say ‘suit yourself’ and leaned back, closing his eyes massaging his temples. He still had his glasses on as he only intended on taking a moment to unwind in the hot tub instead of actually going for a swim. Gianna reveled in the quiet and reclined against the edge of the tub once again. 

“I figured it out, you know,” Nathan announced, breaking the silence. He continued after not getting a response, “What got you to close the deal.”

“And that is?”

“Charity,” he pointedly said to her. “You’re a fucking sap.”

She sat up and scowled at him. “Excuse me for actually caring about the well-being of others.” 

“What did you choose for this one?”

“The Asian Mental Health Collective.”

“And for the other products?”

“Shouldn’t you know already? I thought Blue Book’s CEO looks up everybody he meets so he can judge if they’re worthy enough or some shit”

“I didn’t wanna risk finding out anything about you that would make me even more reluctant to stick with the plan.”

“Was me being a popstar instead of a robot not enough of a deterrent?” Gianna questioned sardonically. 

“It was almost too much.” Their conversation was interrupted by the shriek of Nathan’s alarm. He briskly grabbed his phone to turn it off and check the time. “Back to work,” he sighed, standing up from his seat and turning around to climb up the steps. 

Before he could go any further, Gianna abruptly got up and grabbed his arm. “Wait!”

Nathan looked over his shoulder at her. “Have you changed your mind about testing that theory?”

“Shut up,” Gianna told him distractedly. Her eyes were glued to a specific spot on his left shoulder blade. “Stay still!”

Nathan grunted and begrudgingly complied. He felt Gianna let go of his arm, bringing up her shaky hand to tentatively touch his soulmark. “What the fuck?” she finally spoke up, dismay lacing her voice. 

He turned around to look at her in agitation. “Yeah, I have a soulmark too, big deal.” 

“Look!” She commanded him, angling her torso to one side to show him her left rib cage. She adjusted her bikini top to reveal her soul mark a little below her breast. Hers was a few shades darker than her skin tone and shaped like a shooting star, just like his.

His stunned eyes met her dumbfounded ones. “No fucking way.”

Gianna moved herself away from Nathan and shakily sat back down. Distress was written all over her face as she rapidly fluttered her eyelids to fight the tears she felt forming. 

“Don’t tell me you actually buy into that pseudoscience bullshit. Most of it is correlation anyway instead of actual causation!”

The singer looked up and shot daggers at the Blue Book’s founder. “That pseudoscience bullshit to you is truth to me. I grew up believing in soulmates. My parents, my sister and her fiancé, my aunt and her husband. What they all have is beautiful.”

“I’m not thrilled about this either, okay, Princess? Look, I have my own theories about soulmates, but you being mine contradicts every single one of them.” 

“Finally! Something we agree on!” She got up, stepping closer to him and looking him in the eye. “We can’t even stand each other!”

“This must be a mistake.”

“A glitch in the matrix!”

“So let’s never talk about it again.” 

“Deal.” Gianna nervously surveyed her surroundings to make sure that their discussion had no other witnesses. “I’m gonna go now. Wait at least 10 minutes before walking out so nobody suspects we were together.”

“That’s such a-“

“10 minutes!”

“Fine.”

The popstar swiftly gathered her belongings, wrapped her bathrobe around her, and scurried toward the doors. She waited for them to close behind her before reverting back to a normal pace to not raise suspicion with her speed. Meanwhile, Nathan laid on a chaise lounge and impatiently waited for 10 minutes to go by. 

*****

“So what’s the verdict on Bateman?” Krista inquired after exchanging updates with Nathan’s reps.

“He could use some sensitivity training.” The singer was in the process of getting her hair and make-up done for her print ad photoshoot for Blue Book’s latest flagship phone. 

“Hey guys,” Dinah interrupted, rushing in through the hotel room door, “you should see this.” 

Gianna held Dinah’s phone and apprehensively eyed the article she had opened up. “Romance for the reclusive billionaire?” She read the headline aloud. The photo underneath depicted her standing toe to toe with Nathan as she looked up at him through her lashes. Thankfully, her elbow was bent at an angle that covered her soul mark while Nathan had his unmarked shoulder toward the camera. “One of the staff members must’ve seen us. What are they saying on social media?”

Gianna handed the phone back to Dinah, and her social media manager immediately typed the popstar’s name on Twitter. Gianna then took her own phone out, pulled up some of her fan accounts on Instagram, and scrolled through the comment section.

“Looks like somebody’s into bad boys”

“Alexa, play ‘Mayores’ by Becky G”

“Why do they kinda look good together? The height difference???”

“A singer and a tech mogul? Grimes and Elon Musk are quaking.”

“Guys, quit comparing Gianna and Nathan to Grimes and Elon Musk cause Gianna and Nathan are hotter!!!”

“That went better than expected,” Gianna muttered after seeing the public’s reaction. 

Krista gently touched her shoulder. “Are you okay”

“Oh yeah, I’m fine!” Gianna honestly replied. “Just a little peeved that it had to be Bateman, out of all people, but I’m sure it’ll pass. 

“Is there anything we can do?” Dinah offered. 

“Nah. I don’t plan on being alone with him ever again anyway, so it should blow over soon.” Gianna reassured them. 

Jillian joined in after helping set up Gianna’s wardrobe. “Okay, but, can I ask?”

“Yeah, what’s up?” The singer responded. 

“Did you two actually… do the do?” 

“Of course not! He interrupted my alone time, so honestly this whole thing’s on him.”

“But if you ever wanted to, we’d help cover it up,” Jillian told her. “Like, come on! He’s hot!” 

To Gianna’s disbelief, both Dinah and Krista giggled and nodded in agreement. The singer rolled her eyes as she finished lacing up her shoes. “You all need to get your eyes checked.” 

Gianna and her team headed to the photoshoot location where Agnes had already arrived to help with setting up. During the drive to the studio, Dinah phoned Agnes to fill her in on the dating rumors while Krista emailed Bateman’s team regarding future plans. Much to Gianna’s chagrin, Nathan was already scheduled to be present at the photoshoot and most of the other publicity events surrounding Blue Book’s latest products to seem like “a more hands-on CEO.”

“What charity was her pick this time?” Nathan asked Agnes during the 15 minute break.

“Pawssion Project from the Philippines. Why?”

“Nothing. Just curious.”

“Are you testing if I’m actually serious about donating?” Gianna walked up behind him after she finished changing into a different outfit.

“As a matter of fact, I am.” Nathan turned around to reply, alerting Agnes that it was her cue to leave. 

“I take it you’ve heard the news.”

“Yup. Told you it��d be a compliment.”

“Ugh, don’t flatter yourself, Bateman. Being around a popstar is probably just making you more attractive.”

“Did you just say that I’m attractive?”

“Oh my god, I can’t stand you.” Gianna groaned in annoyance. “Do you think they heard us?”

Nathan didn’t need any more specifics for him to understand. “No, it’s really unlikely. Judging from the angle of the photo, they couldn’t have been near enough to make out what we were saying.” 

“Good. As long as we’re never seen alone together again, we’re fine.”

*****

-One Week Later-

The it-girl of pop music may not be such a darling after all. Carina Garcia, Gianna’s labelmate and friend, has recently split from her long-term beau, actor Matthew Jauncey. Although there have been no official statements from any of the parties yet, photographs from Carina Garcia’s album release party suggest that Gianna’s dalliance with the actor may have caused the break-up. Who knew that the pop sweetheart is actually quite the temptress?

“This makes no sense!” Gianna exclaimed as she threw her phone down her couch. “Dalliance? We just met!”

“What happened?” Jillian picked up the phone from the couch to see what triggered such a reaction from her friend. 

“That picture of him leaning over to me? He was telling me where the restroom was because I asked him! He wasn’t ‘whispering sweet nothings.’ He had to get close to my ear cause it was loud!” Gianna’s arms flailed while she recounted what actually transpired. “And the one at the bar? The bartender accidentally swapped our drinks! And he was getting that drink for Carina!”

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay! I’ll talk to Krista.”

“My career is over.” Gianna slumped down onto her couch, bringing up a hand to dry off the tears that began to fall. All the space that she normally enjoyed in her luxury apartment now felt suffocating to her.

“No,” Jillian crouched down in front of Gianna and looked her in the eye. “We’ll figure something out.” 

*****

“We can make it work,” Thomas stated. Nathan, Gianna, and their teams were all gathered for an impromptu meeting in Blue Book’s office in LA. “The public received them very positively, so we just have to follow it through.”

“Yeah, we’ll arrange for more public appearances together and plandids,” Krista agreed. 

“What’s our timeline?” Agnes asked.

“I’m thinking maybe 4-6 months?” Monica replied. “Whirlwind romances happen all the time, so it’s reasonable.”

Gianna struggled to conceal a snort. “Good luck making him commit to it for that long.”

“He will,” Joan reassured the singer. “I’ll make sure he sticks to the schedule.”

The meeting ended shortly, and everyone cleared the conference room leaving Gianna and Nathan behind. The businessman swiveled his chair to face the singer. “Turns out, you need me just as much as I need you now.”

[torialeysha]

Cold feet - Part. 19

Bad blood

A/N: How is everyone? I don’t know about you guys but I’m having withdrawals now peaky blinders is finished. And I’m still reeling about the fact that Alfie has married his maid Edna, I feel kinda betrayed not gonna lie 🤣 That being said here’s the latest instalment of cold feet. Sorry if it’s a little short, it just felt right to finish it where I did.

Warnings: Mentions of death, self harm and miscarriage.

Song: synergy - Tash Sultana

Too distraught to think. Any speech that erupted from your quivering lips was lost in full body racking sobs. Flashbacks replayed themselves in Choppy images behind your eyes; the group of people stampeding towards you, strange faces surrounding you, arms and hands reaching and grabbing, the weight of Alfie gone, carried away. Where were they taking him? Then you were being lifted from the floor. Tommy was there and he was shaking you viciously and yelling, his face pointed and furious but you couldn’t hear him. Ada shoved Tommy off you. Then he howled loud and clear. “She’s part of it, Ada. She helped kill our brother. Arthur’s dead because of her!”

Everything happened so fast that you couldn’t recollect properly what had transpired after that. Somehow you were transported from the streets of Smallheath to a huge mansion in the middle of nowhere. Polly and Ada accompanied you, bundling you through the door and into this huge living room. A fire was already crackling away in the hearth, warming the room but you couldn’t feel it’s heat, you couldn’t feel anything. You could only stand there in a daze, covered in blood but none of it yours.

“I’m sorry about Arthur.” You blurted suddenly.

“Don’t.” Ada urged. “That makes you sound guilty.”

“That’s not what I meant…”

“I know.” She whispered. “I just…can’t get my head around it.”

“I tried to get word to you, Ada. I called the hotel in Mayfair but you had already checked out. Then Luca kidnapped me and it was too late, there was nothing I could do. I was completely helpless. You have to believe me. I’d never want anyone to get hurt.”

“That’s enough Y/N.” Polly warned. “We’ll wait for Tommy before we speak anymore about it. Ada, take Y/N to get cleaned up? No point ruining the furniture with bad blood.”

“Bad blood? I need to speak to Thomas. I need to know what’s happened to Alfie. I need to explain everything.” You croaked.

“Tommy may not be back until morning.” Polly replied bluntly, annoyance tainting her voice.

“Pol’s right. You can’t stay like that. I’ll run you a bath and look for something you can change in to.”

You nodded reluctantly and followed Ada into the lobby and up the stairs although you didn’t want to. The only thing you wanted was to know about Alfie, where they took him? Was he alive? Was Tommy capable of the compassion and generosity it would take to get Alfie help after he thought he’d betrayed him and caused the death of his brother? You were doubtful but still hoped, you had to hope.

The bath water stained pink with Alfie’s blood trickled through your fingers sending a new wave of gut wrenching sadness to crash over you. The more you thought about it, the number of shots, the amount of blood, the heavy limpness of his beastly body that was hauled from your lap, the less likely you believed Alfie could have survived. Your heart dropped, sinking with heaviness down into your belly where it lay and left the dullest pain you’d ever felt. You slipped beneath the tepid pink pool and stayed there weightless and free. Free from pain and free from causing pain. Your chest began to burn for oxygen when suddenly out of no where you heard a voice. “Don’t give up. Keep going.” It mumbled, distorted by the water.

Your eyes shot open and quickly you jumped up. Water splashed in a wave over the sides of the tub. Your chest rose and fell rapidly as you gasped air in to your lungs. When you looked around you were still on your own.

“Ada?” You called, there was no answer.

Was the voice a figment of your imagination? A product of your oxygen starved brain? You felt dizzy and disoriented, overwhelmed with agitation and abrupt desperation to escape the tub.

Gracelessly you pulled yourself up and out of the tub, stepping on to the fluffy white towel Ada had laid upon the pristine marble floor to save you from slipping. When you straightened, the dull cramping which had settled in your stomach shot down your thighs like a current of electricity, effectively doubling you over.

Your eyes clenched shut waiting for the pain to subside. When you opened them again the towel beneath your feet was no longer white but spotted with blood, not pink like the bath water that was dripping off your goose pimpled skin but grotesquely bright and fresh. Your eyes followed the journey of the last droplet, widening when you saw it’s crimson trail leading up between your legs.

Your mouth fell open piercing the air with a scream.

Ada found you shaking and incoherent on the bathroom floor. At first she worried you had injured yourself but soon realised where the blood was coming from.

You heard her curse not once but twice and say something about a doctor. She covered your naked body with a towel and ran out of the bathroom screaming for Polly.

The doctor arrived within the hour. You obliged the examination although you didn’t need him or his stethoscope. You could already feel the void inside you and knew with sickening certainty what he was going to tell you. However when the blow of his professional confirmation eventually came in the dreaded shaking of his head followed by his condolences, it was more devastating than you had imagined. It was the final nail in the coffin. Shock, guilt, sadness, a rush of emotions attacked you at once suffocating you into a breathless frenzy. Ada and Polly tried to calm you but you thrashed them away with a strength you were unaware you possessed. There were exchanging of words, mumblings you couldn’t even register. The doctor then intervened in the struggle, gripping your arm tightly. You felt a pinch in your bicep and looked down to see a syringe being emptied in to your arm. It took mere seconds to take effect, dulling you down and making you feel lightheaded as if you had drunk yourself into a stupor. Then you drifted away and the pain of the world as you knew it fell away from you.

For a long time there was nothing, just darkness filling every inch of space.

Then from the void came a light spreading with music, the soft tones of a piano tinkering away to a tune you were familiar with, a tune you had heard many a time. There was brightness now almost blinding, banishing the dark to the outer edges of your vision as it stubbornly refused to be expelled completely. sparkling sequins of flappers spinning and flailing to a faster beat than the music blurred before your tired eyes. You were at the Eden club as it used to be, under Sabini’s management, before it became Arcadia. 

What were you doing here?

To your left your friend Mabels giggle echoed as a man whispered something in her ear. 

Groggily you tried to focus.

“He’s not here.” You rasped.

“So? There’s plenty of others, take your pick.” 

You knew she was going to say that. You had heard it before, this had all happened before - that’s how you knew he was here. He was at the Eden that night settling some business with Sabini. You remembered his surprised and disapproving face when he saw you, done up to the nines and on the pull, or so he had thought. You had barely known each other then. A few encounters at your uncles shop. You had gotten used to his company, enjoyed it. Your feelings growing with every day he visited. The week before that night at the Eden he hadn’t called in to your uncles shop at all, leaving you feeling disappointedly glum and confused. You had confided in your friend Mabel who almost spat her coffee across the cafe table when you told her that Alfie Solomon’s was the cause of your misery. She begged you to come out that night, promised it would take your mind of the so called bastard Baker, only for him to actually be there. Once his business was dealt with he asked you to leave with him - which you did. That was the first night you kissed. It was the beginning of something wonderful and now you were at the end. You had to Find him to stop the end from coming, to start again.

“I’m going to look for him.” You said leaving Mabel and forcing your way through the faceless crowd. Upstairs - the office, he must be there. You found a familiar looking door by the far wall and went through it. The empty room was cold and dark. The music had stopped, disappeared to make way for a set of loud footsteps that stopped a foot or so behind you. Two freezing cold hands fell upon your shoulders. You tried to look behind to see who it was but you couldn’t move.

“Go on then - tell him ‘I do.” Charles’ voice crawled across your skin. 

The room became some sort of church. Empty pews trapped either side of you and at the far end a shadowy figure stood with no face, waiting expectantly for your answer.

“No. Never.” You spat.

“It’s too late.” He sung, moving to your side. “You may not wear my ring but I’ve marked you for life. Til death do we part.” he smiled, an unnaturally wide grin, his mouth taking up half of his face as his head arched back with a menacing laughing. 

You started running then, back the way you came. Falling through the door wanting to get back to the Eden but instead landed on your hands and knees in sand. Looking up you saw the dunes of Margate to the side of you. The sea rolled violently attacking the shore. Seagulls swooped over head cawing chaotically. In the distance you saw a figure, although their back was to you you knew it was Alfie. You had found him. He was ok. The relief was enough to make you cry. You tried to call to him to get up off your knees but you had no voice and your hands and legs were sinking, buried in the sand that had a hold on you like dried cement. He walked towards the sea not stopping when the turbulent water was approaching knee height. Panic rose in your chest. You struggled ferociously with the unrelenting sand. Trying with all you might to muster at least a squeak to tell him to stop, to let him know you were there. Despite all your efforts you could do no more but watch in horror as the waves swallowed him up until he was no longer there.

You woke with a start. Your throat was sore and dry. Another unfamiliar room, alone again in the darkness. You couldn’t stay here. You got up and noticed the outline of Ada fast asleep on the chaise longe at the foot of the bed. Careful not to wake her you tiptoed to the door and crept through. You stalled on the other side. What were you doing? Where were you going? The first flickers of dusk filtered through the landing window illuminating your way. Across the way above the stairs your eyes were drawn to a huge painting of Tommys late wife Grace. She dominated the wall gazing down at you, strong and proud and in that moment there was something else in her expression. You looked harder and saw something hiding in the canvas and paint. It felt alive, her features changing, conveying a sense of sympathy that was meant for you. You blinked and the painting was once again plainly still, leaving you with the feeling you were going crazy.

A small bang and a curse emerged down the dimness of the hallway and you staggered towards it. A sliver of light sneaked through a crack in one of the many doors and without hesitation you entered.

Through the haze of cigarette smoke you saw the striking, lamp lit face of Tommy. He was sat behind a desk leaning back in his chair. His head angled forward his eyes falling lazily upon you. A flash of anger altered his impassive features and you fought the urge to retreat.

“That’s Graces night gown.” He accused.

You looked down at the silk and lace floor length slip.

“Ada gave it to me to put on. My clothes were…covered in blood.”

He took a drag of his cigarette, taking longer than necessary to exhale the smoke and said suddenly.

“Take a seat Y/N.”

He took a decanter of clear liquid, topped up his tumbler then filled another one and slid it across the varnished cherry wood of the desk in front of you. It’s strong floral aroma filled your nostrils. You eyed it disdainfully, the fact you were now allowed to drink the poison just another painful reminder of what you’d lost.

“You’ve spoken to Ada.” It wasn’t a question.

“I’ve spoken to Polly.” He sighed.

You nodded, your gaze still fixed on the gin.

Silence stretched as you waited for Tommy to say something. What was you expecting? A pitiful sorry for your loss, or maybe a glimpse of sympathy in the cold, callous blue of his eyes. Or Maybe you just wanted proof that Thomas Shelby had heart. When the silence stretched longer than it had to it dashed your hopes of Alfie’s fate.

“I need to know what you’ve done with him. I want to see his body.” You tried to stop the wavering of your voice but it wobbled painfully with anguish.

“I need you to tell me everything you know first.” He insisted, ignoring your question.

“Why? What does it matter now?” Tears were now streaming freely down your cheeks. You swiped at them angrily. “Wait… Is it for my sake? You want me to plead my case so you can decide wether or not to spare me? Well let me save you the trouble. You may have lost your brother and I’m truly sorry about that but I’ve lost everything. My life isn’t worth begging for.”

“He’s alive.” He grumbled insipidly.

“What?”

“Alfie is still alive. He’s stable in a hospital under the guard of my men.”

“Alfie’s alive.” You repeated in disbelief.

“For now.” He looked at his burning cigarette thoughtfully then took a drag. “So you need to tell me everything you know.”

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Tag list: @storm-bjorn @alsheyra @lililolli @jaegers-and-kaijus @lightwoodt @stars-trash-18 @anrm1 @innerpaperexpertcloud @alitheamateur @hardygal69​ @boysinurdream

[young-dumb-and-vaccinated]

Cult Girl: Doctorate (Hannibal x Pregnant!Female!Reader) pt. 14

Hannibal reads too much into Max's attempt to reconcile and cult girl revisits her past.

@wisesandwichshark @pearlstiare

Trigger warnings: discussions of death, abandonment, military casualties, emotional abuse

You soon returned to the opera knowing you had nothing to hide. Hannibal selected for you an off-white maternity gown so form-fitting it was practically painted on. He wanted everyone to see that you, his queen, empress and goddess, were carrying his child.

It only took that evening for the whole dynamic to change. Suddenly, you were an expectant new mother. Imogen had been a massive hit, you were planning to go again.

You were affixing your heavy cubic zirconia earrings when you heard a knock at the door. You hesitated, but hurried down the stairs when you saw who it was.

"Max?" You said, upon opening the door. He stood there awkwardly, holding a bouquet of flowers. "Hi?"

"Hey, [F/N]." Max greeted, eyes darting nervously around the porch. "I just came around to apologize in person. I'm sorry I was such a chauvinist prick."

You leaned against the door. "Oh?"

"You were right." He continued. "I don't know what it's like to carry a baby, and, unless something goes very wrong, I never will."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that." You smiled.

"Anyway, these are for you." He said, handing the bouquet over. "They're chrysanthemums."

"Thank you, Max." You said, accepting the flowers.

"Archie and I-" He scratched the back of his head. "We thought that, maybe, if you'd still have us, that we'd name the baby Chrysanthemum. With your permission, of course."

"Like the picture book?" Your face lit up. "With the little mouse girl?"

Max nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah, exactly."

You hugged the bouquet into your chest and considered it again. You looked back at Hannibal, who hadn't looked up from his expectant fathers' website for a second all day. He surrounded himself with books about child psychology, attachment theory, developmental behavior patterns and somehow found himself on a tangent about institutionalized misogyny in medicine.

"I'm sorry, Max." You said, sincerely. "I really do appreciate you coming down here and apologizing, but-"

Max put his hands up and gave you a disarming smile. "I understand. Plans change."

"I just really want to stress that it's not you." You assured him. "I've kind of... really grown to like the idea of being a parent. And I think that was Hannibal's plan all along, too."

"I believe a congratulations is in order, then." His voice turned up in delight. "I'm very happy for you. Both of you."

You clutched the bouquet to your chest. "Thank you."

"Well, I'd better get going." He stepped backwards down the stairs. "I've got three pints of Ben and Jerry's in the backseat and Archie'll have my head if I come home and they've melted."

"Max, wait." You stopped him before he could get down the driveway.

"Hm?"

You leaned against the threshold and smiled warmly. "Don't be a stranger, okay?"

Max returned the smile. "Of course not."

You waved goodbye and shut the door. You hurried to the kitchen to put the flowers in water before you had to go.

"Who was that, love?" Hannibal asked, half-heartedly. He was still very fixated on his research.

"Max Thomas-Park." You answered, unwrapping the flowers from the decorative plastic.

Hannibal looked up from his computer, but left the room silent for you to fill.

"He wanted to make amends." You explained. You walked across the room to the china cabinet and selected a vase big enough to hold the ornate bouquet. "Brought flowers and everything."

"Chrysanthemums?" He asked, sniffing the air.

"I see your sense of smell is coming back." You commented.

"Interesting selection." He narrowed his eyes on the bouquet.

"Well, he said that was what he wanted to name the kid." You offered. "It was a cute pitch, not gonna lie."

Hannibal shut his laptop and examined the bouquet up close. "If he wanted to express regret, he would have done better to bring you blue or purple hyacinths."

"Well, like I said." You made a point to project a little more. "He said he wanted to name his daughter chrysanthemum."

"Mums are given to show sympathy for those in mourning." Hannibal continued, clearly having his own conversation.

"Hannibal-"

"I think your cousin got her hooks in him and he's planning to--" He cut himself off, lest he speak the unthinkable into reality. "That's why he brought mourning flowers."

"Max Thomas-Park is conspiring with Anna to kill our unborn baby?" You said, flatly, to emphasize how insane he sounded.

Hannibal held a bloom between his fingers and looked closely at it. "It's the kind of hint I would leave. For courtesy's sake."

"I think looking at parenting blogs all day has made you a little paranoid." You observed, knowing full well that an overprotective husband and soon-to-be father of your child was not a bad problem to have. Nevertheless, you shut the laptop and touched his cheek. "Come on. We're going to be late for the opera."

You heaved yourself into the passenger's seat of the car, feeling the seat give beneath your heavy frame. Every time you got into the car, you remembered that you needed to shop for a car seat. The thought just as soon left your mind every time. 

“We need to look for a car seat.” You said as Hannibal shut the door, hoping that he’d remember. 

“I mean,” Hannibal blurted out, still lost in his own conversation. “Max is a cultured and well-educated man. He has to know the implications of his flowers.” 

You huffed, dreading to think that paranoid delusion was symptomatic of his parenting style. “Right. The twenty-seven year old data analyst who graduated with a finance MBA from UChicago is also proficient in the outdated and frivolous language of flowers.” 

“In Italy, mums are only given as comfort for loss.” Hannibal said with undeserved conviction. “Exclusively, [F/N].” 

You rolled your eyes and typed something up on your phone. You raised your eyebrows, feeling a bit proud of yourself for what you found. 

“In Korea, y’know, the country that Max’s family is from,” You corrected. “The chrysanthemum is a symbol of friendship.” 

Hannibal tensed up for a moment, tightening his grip on the steering wheel. It was as if he were trying to break himself out of a trance. “...I’m sorry, darling.” 

“I know you’re scared.” You stared at his profile, trying to make out an expression. “I’m also... pretty scared. But you can’t take it out on a guy who has nothing to do with it.” 

“I am scared.” He affirmed, but the way in which he did was a telltale sign that he wasn’t giving you the full story. 

“Of?” You raised your eyebrow. “Finish the sentence, Hannibal.” 

"I need to keep our baby safe." He answered. "And I cannot in good conscience let her come into the world knowing that someone wants to hurt her. To hurt you."

You sighed. "Hannibal, are you seriously still worried about Anna?"

"Don't underestimate the role privilege and entitlement plays in the decision to commit acts of violence." He enunciated carefully. "You of all people should know that."

"Anna has cultivated such a perfect victim image to project outwardly that even a hint of proactive violence would shatter it." You explained. "She's the poor girl who has things done to her. Her evil cousin ruined her marriage. Her evil cousin destroyed her career. And she's the innocent victim in all of it."

"Logically, I know that you can speak on her behavior with more authority than I." Hannibal admitted.

"No shit." You scoffed. "I had to live with her."

"Can we at least entertain the idea that she has something planned?" He pleaded.

"I'm surprised at you." You said. "You never really struck me as the overly-cautious type."

Hannibal shook his head. "With my own life, I'm willing to gamble. But not when it's you. And not when it's Imogen."

You tensed up. His admitted willingness to put himself in danger unlocked a core memory you had buried deep down. The only thing you knew about your own father was that he was willing to put himself in danger. To go overseas and die for fuck-all instead of live for the child he selfishly created then abandoned. He chose to give his life for oil. You didn't choose to grow up without a father and your mother didn't choose to raise a child without a partner. He made that choice for you.

"Now what are you not telling me?" Hannibal broke you out of your trance. "I know that look, [F/N]."

"Nothing." You shook your head. "You should really not plan on dying anytime soon."

"I promise you, I am not going anywhere." His voice softened. "Least of all, to Iraq."

"Okay, you're a pretty good therapist but you never told me you could read minds." You threw your hands up in defeat. "Are you a psychiatrist or are you Loki?"

"As fun as being the god of mischief would be," Hannibal smiled to himself. "I just happen to have a steel-trap memory and an admittedly quite obsessive fixation on the mental health of the mother of my child."

"I swear to god I never told you about him." You denied. "Not even in passing."

"You didn't have to." He assured you. "Beatrice did."

You were surprised for a fraction of a second until the information sat in your head long enough to realize it wasn’t surprising in the slightest. Beatrice took every opportunity she got to brag about her son's sacrifices. She never once mentioned the sacrifices he forced upon you. Only that her son was a hero.

"Did you get the 'don't believe anything [F/N] has to say about my son' speech?" Your voice flattened in complete non-surprise.

"It was a prepared speech?" Hannibal chuckled. "Pity. I thought I was special."

"She gave it to my first boyfriend." You rolled your eyes. "We were, like, fifteen."

"The root of your psychological issues becomes clearer every time we talk about Beatrice." He commented under his breath.

"I know." You conceded.

He pulled into the parking lot, turned the car off and placed his hand over yours.

"Your father was a coward." He said, bluntly. It was nice to hear what had been echoing in the back of your head out loud for once. "I know no country to serve. No god to glorify. I promise, you have the whole of me. My mind, body and soul belongs to you and our child."

You squeezed his hand. "I couldn't ask for anything else."

[ts-replicated-au]

Ooh, getting a little salty there, Thomas. Don't worry, I'm right with you.

"So, Doctor, what did the teachers and "parents" do differently with each "twin"?"

(I am not prepared, this is gonna hurt)

"So let me see if I'm understanding you correctly," Thomas says. "You've essentially taken two children and told one of them "you're the evil twin" and then you sat back to see what would happen?"

"That's an extremely crude way of putting it," says Dr. Shaw. "Rarely were we so explicit; children are not stupid. They can tell when you are disappointed in them, or when you don't expect much from them. From toddler-hood, the psychologists in charge of raising each set of 'twins' selected one to be the subject of the neglect and proceeded from there. For your strains, Remus was selected to be the 'bad twin,' as you put it, while Roman was the control against him."

Thomas looks up at the screen. At first glance, he can't tell which is Roman and which is Remus, he just sees two vaguely collage-aged students, neither of whom look particularly happy to be there.

Dr. Shaw reaches over and turns a knob on a control panel, and volume from the class fills the room.

"For the rest of the period, I'd like you all to partner up to check each other's study guides," says the teacher. "We'll be having a quiz next week."

One of Thomas's strains stands immediately, and strides across the room to tap a girl with curly red hair on the shoulder. The clone who stays rolls his eyes and props his feet up on the desk, casting a lazy glance around the room.

Thomas follows suit, examining the group of students. Some of the pairs of twins have stuck with each other, while others have done what Thomas's clone did and sought out a new partner.

"Which one was that?" Thomas asks as his clone sits down with the curly-haired girl.

"That's Roman," says Dr. Shaw. "He's paired up with another of the 'good' subjects, Cassandra. This is consistent with his typical attitude towards Remus in academic settings."

Thomas looks at Remus, who still has not gotten up from his chair. No one has approached him yet to work on the project, and he doesn't seem eager to look for someone either. Eventually, there is no one left beside the curly-haired girl's twin, who sighs and makes her way over to Remus.

"Helen," Dr. Shaw supplies. "The subject of neglect compared to her sister."

"She doesn't look too happy to be paired with Remus," Thomas says hesitantly.

"Subjects have responded to their treatment in different ways," says Dr. Shaw. "Some have striven even harder to gain approval from the authority figures in their lives; Helen falls into this category. However, some have accepted and even lean heavily into their type casting, which is how Remus has coped with his situation."

Thomas sighs.

"Let me guess: the kids who are still trying to gain approval don't want to end up paired with the guy who seemingly doesn't care."

"That seems to be the pattern, yes."

Thomas watches Remus lean back and lace his fingers together behind his head, and swallows. For all intents and purposes, Remus is a stranger to him...but in many other ways, including legally, Remus is him. And the way that he's forcefully projecting an image out to the rest of his classmates...there's something about it that's painfully familiar to Thomas.

Helen begins talking to Remus, pointing to her study guide, but it's clear that he's not really listening.

[dukethomas]

Summary: Duke’s parents recover and come home. Written for Duke Week 2021 Day Six: Family Bonding.

I was going to write something angstier for this prompt, but it actually turned into just the comfort part of hurt/comfort. Sometimes I need a good cry about something good happening to characters I love.

Also read it here on AO3!

-

His parents were back.

His parents were back, and Duke could cry and cry and cry forever. He sobbed into his mom’s shoulder for who knows how long when he saw them. His mom pat his back—he was taller than her now—and murmured to him, “It’s okay, baby bird. We’re here.”

The use of the nickname he hadn’t heard since he was in elementary school made him sob harder.

His mom and his dad were, were okay, their mouths weren’t contorted into unnatural grins and they didn’t carry that gleam of hatred and they said they were so sorry and they loved him so much and wow, hadn’t he grown up so much—he turned out to be the spitting image of his mother, didn’t he think?

Duke didn’t think he’d ever stop crying.

“I missed you,” he blubbered. “I missed you every day, I swear, I tried so hard to find a cure or something—”

His dad smiled at him, softly, tears in the corners of his eyes. “And you did. We’re right here, Duke. You brought us back.”

He had to call Jay to pick them up, because his parents no longer had licenses and Duke didn’t trust his hands to not shake in the full force of his joy.

-

In the days that followed, Duke didn’t go out as the Signal. How could he? This all felt like a fever dream; he’d been wanting this for so long. If he didn’t spend every waking moment with his parents, he feared they could revert back to what they were, and it would be a dream after all.

Jay took a few days off of work, and Duke called in sick for a few days at school. The Thomas family glowed with genuine grins, because they were whole. They spent the time catching his mom and dad up on what they missed, and having fun playing games or going out the rest of the time. To his dad’s chagrin, Duke had gotten much better at chess, but no one could beat his mom at Monopoly.

Then life came crashing down around them. Jay had to go to work, Duke had to go back to school, and his parents needed to begin a new chapter of their lives. Unbeknownst to Jay and his parents, Duke skipped his first day back at school to chase down a string of thefts he’d read about in the news.

He could never stay away from Signal for long. Gotham needed him, needed all the help it could get.

It wasn’t a difficult case, by any means. Mad Hatter was about as subtle as a barge. Still, Duke embraced the thrill of hunting them down, as the trail of clues led him right towards a newly opened costume store, Wonderland Haberdashery.

Again. Subtle as a barge.

“What are we waiting for?” a man dressed as a giant white rabbit complained.

The dormouse next to him shushed him loudly. She hissed, “The boss’ signal.”

Duke took that as his cue. He launched into action, running forward with a well-timed punch to the rabbit’s face. “You’ve got one right here.” (Those jokes never got old.)

He let himself loose, using all of his training as well as his own metahuman power to demolish his way through the storybook-themed goons. He couldn’t fight the grin on his face; he was having too much fun. His heart reached a thunderous frenzy in his ears and he loved every second of it. These guys couldn’t touch him.

When the time came to knock out Jervis Tetch himself, Duke obliged with glee. He’d just finished tying him to the wall when his phone buzzed with a notification.

It was three, school was over, and he should be heading home. His parents should be home.

His parents were home. It still felt surreal.

He ran into Jay’s apartment and kicked off his shoes faster than he ever had when doing a superheroic change of clothes.

“Hey Mom! Hey Dad! I’m home!” he called. When he heard no response, a chill went down his spine, and he rushed to the living room. There, his parents sat on the couch, fixated on the TV. The news channel was on, talking about an altercation at—oh.

It was talking about him.

“That’s you,” his mom said without turning back to look at him.

A wad of bile as large as a stone formed in his throat. He knew Bruce probably had contingencies for if anyone guessed his identity. Deny it, prove that he was in school, get a shapeshifter to pose as Signal in the same room as him. But he couldn’t stop himself from saying, “Yeah.” He couldn’t, he wouldn’t lie to his parents. “Are you upset?”

He’d imagined this scenario many times. What would his parents say about his vigilantism? He was risking his life every time he was out there, and no parent would want that, but he was helping Gotham. He was helping Gotham’s people, just like they had taught him to do.

“Let me take a look at you,” his mom told him, beckoning him towards the couch. Duke listened, sitting in between his mom and dad. His mom cupped his face with her rough hands, and he leaned into the touch. “It’s dangerous,” she murmured; Duke squeezed his eyes shut.

A firm arm reached around his shoulders, holding him tight. His dad. “But you’re happy,” he said.

Duke nodded, his chin trembling.

They dwelled in a moment’s pause, until he was being hugged from both sides. Duke opened his eyes to see his parents with faint smiles. “We couldn’t be there for you,” said his mom, “but you found yourself.”

“I did,” Duke whispered, crying for the millionth time this week. “I did.”

“We’re so, so unbelievably proud of the person you’ve grown up to be, baby bird. We just wish… we just wish we could have been here to see it happen.”

-

His parents laid down some ground rules. No more skipping school unless he had all his assignments done and he had straight A’s. He had to be home for dinner, and after sundown he was off his shift. He could join night shift with the other Bats only twice a week in a limited capacity, and he had to go to sleep before midnight on school nights. And he would tell Jay his secret.

That had been the hardest one. Duke could barely get the words out, suddenly filled with shame for not telling Jay earlier.

But as it turned out, Jay already suspected it. “I’m no genius, but you’re disappearing constantly. I can never find you. Wayne takes you out of Gotham all the time. That’s not just an internship, Duke.” His jaw hardened. “But don’t think that I’m going to be the cool cousin now and let you break any of those new rules your parents set. Safety first.”

Duke rolled his eyes and hugged him. “Love you, man.”

“Love you too, rascal.”

He had to let Bruce know. He’d been keeping in touch with Bruce throughout all of this, but sparingly. He got the vibe that Bruce was keeping his distance out of respect for him and his parents.

Well, no more of that. Duke shot off a text to Bruce to let him know he was coming, then pocketed his phone. “Hey, Mom? Dad? You wanna ride with me on my motorcycle to Wayne Manor?”

He wouldn’t have actually done it (it was too big of an identity risk), but it was worth it to see his parents’ briefly stunned looks before his dad started chasing him with a noogie at the ready.

Jay drove them all to Wayne Manor. His mom and dad walked out of the car tentatively, scrutinizing their surroundings. Duke fidgeted with his shirt, wondering what they thought. For all intents and purposes, this was his home, if only for a little over a year.

Duke rang the doorbell, ready to greet Alfred, but it was Bruce who opened the door for once. The way he held himself struck Duke. It wasn’t extravagant and flighty like Brucie, nor grim and tense like Batman. Duke’s family were some of the very few to see Bruce Wayne as he really was, without a persona.

“You took Duke in while we were… unavailable,” his mom said before Bruce could say hello.

“Yes,” replied Bruce calmly, wearing something on his face Duke didn’t often see. Vulnerability. Anxiety .

His dad held out his hand. “Doug Thomas. Thank you. Thank you for taking care of our boy.”

“It was a pleasure.” Bruce shook Duke’s dad’s hand. “Duke was a delight to mentor and guide. I’m glad he has you both back.”

Duke grinned. “He says I’m a delight but he didn’t think so every time I snuck out of the Manor to track down a lead.”

“You were supposed to be on bed rest.”

“And I rested, in a bed, after I solved the case! I do it every night when I sleep—that’s working overtime on bed rest, Bruce.”

“And you won’t be pulling any of that with us, young man,” his mom told him in a stern tone.

Duke quickly made his eyes as wide, pleading, and innocent as possible. He would never, he was about to say, when Bruce told them to come in.

“A better man than I expected him to be,” his dad said once Bruce had moved far enough he wouldn't hear. His mom hummed in agreement. “And Duke, you felt safe with him?”

Duke snorted. “Define safe.”

“Smartass,” Jay muttered, behind the three of them. He’d been through the tour already. He had a begrudging respect for Bruce, but he wasn’t impressed.

“And who taught me to do that, ever since I was a little kid?”

Duke yelped as he dodged a smack from Jay. “I’m fragile, don’t hurt me!”

“You’re not fragile,” said the amused voice coming from down the hall. Cass, here because Duke asked her to be. Because he wanted his family to meet his family.

“Oh! Mom, Dad, Jay, this is Cass.” He dragged them over to meet her. “She’s like… she’s my sister.”

Cass nodded, observing Duke’s family. “Good to meet you.”

At his parents’ confused glance, he told them, “When you were gone, I made new friends, but I also found new family. Cass isn’t your daughter or Jay’s cousin, but she’s my sister.” In his chest, he felt a weight alleviate, one he hadn’t even been aware of. “Wait until you meet Damian. Remember how I always wanted a baby brother when I was a kid, but you guys kept telling me that I was enough of a handful?”

As he kept introducing his parents to the family he made, he felt a warmth grow within him, tickling his ribs, infecting his lungs. It was like he couldn’t do anything but beam from ear to ear, now that he had almost everyone important in his life gathered together. (He would introduce them to Izzy, Riko, and the rest of the Robins soon.)

His family had been shattered, but Duke had picked up the pieces and created something new. And it could never be the way it was, but that was okay. Duke was happy with his family the way it was now.

His parents were home; all his family was home. Duke couldn’t be happier.

[makerofmadness]

Peter, to Andy in the void(?) in the Christmas Special: Don’t try to guilt-trip me. I have no soul so it doesn’t work.

-

Arthur King: Are you mad?

Thomas Eastwood: No.

Arthur King: So sharpening an axe at 2am is just a hobby?

-

Andy: I can’t go. Stress is bad for the baby.

Margret: What baby?

Andy: Me.

-

The Entity: How come whenever I have fun, it’s considered wrong?

Thomas Eastwood: People die when you have fun.

-

Arthur King, about to be murdered by Thomas: What you’re doing is illegal.

Thomas Eastwood, about to swing the axe: I’m not taking advice from you. You pronounce the g in “lasagna.”

-

Claus: In the name of the father, son, and holy ghost-

Melody: Head, shoulders, knees, and toes-

Margret: Turn up your nose and strike that pose-

Felix: HEEEEEEY, MACARENA

-

Felix: Can you do me a solly? (short for solid)

Claus: Yeah dude I’ll do you a solidamious (long for solid)

-

Andy: If the apocalypse happened, I would just pass away. Why do people in movies always have so much will to live

-

Andy (if he actually got the chance to tell his friends about the stuff with Peter): So you really believe me, guys?

Margret: Andy, you are the last good person on the face of this miserable planet. We’d believe you if you said talking cartoon birds did your hair this morning.

-

Melody: What would you say if I came home with 4 kittens one day

Claus: 

Claus: What’s in the box

Melody: 

Claus: Melody, what’s in the box

Melody: I think you know

-

Claus: I’m not mad, I just want to know why you two would need a fake ID.

Felix: *incoherent grumbling*

Claus: Huh?

Melody: ...You need to be over 18 at PetCo to hold the puppies.

-

Thomas Eastwood: The whole world is my stage!

Kamryn Eastwood: *mumbling* No wonder it’s on fire...

-

Felix: Here’s the shopping list, bro

Melody: But it just has my name on it

Felix: That’s ‘cause you’re all I need, bro

Melody: Bro...

-

Margret: Who ate all the cookies?

Felix: Ninjas.

Margret: I didn’t see them.

Felix: No one ever does.

-(the rest are under the cut. templates taken from a generator but filled in by myself. looking through google image results for good potential quotes can be hard and limited when you’re not looking for shipping)-

Andy, slamming pots and pans together to the rhythm of "Give it to me, I'm worth it" (finally snapped): I didn't get no sleep cause a' y'all! Y'all never gonna sleep cause a' me!

-

Melody: I've never encountered a problem that can't be solved by a spontaneous musical number.

-

Thomas Eastwood seeing Arthur King at the site of his now burned-down house: Clownery. Tomfoolery. Absolute fuckery, I am going to revoke your life privileges.

-

*Something crashes* Melody: Shoot- Andy: *Running into the room in a panic* WHAT FELL?! Felix: *Walking by the room calmly* What died?

-

Looks like a cinnamon roll/Can actually kill you = Melody Looks like can kill you/Is actually a cinnamon roll = Felix (maybe?) Looks like a cinnamon roll/Is a cinnamon roll = Andy Looks like can kill you/Can actually kill you = Peter/The Entity

-

Claus: Wait a minute, how did this happen? We're smarter than this! Margret: Apparently, we're not.

-

The Entity: Life could be worse, Thomas.  Thomas Eastwood: Life could be a lot better too!

-

Andy: You read my diary?!? Melody: In my defense, I didn’t know it was your diary. Melody: I thought it was a really sad, handwritten book.

-

Andy, to his friends:I love you guys, you're the best thing that's happened to me. Margret: We're the best thing that's ever happened to you? Andy Yes! Felix: I'm starting to feel a little sorry for you.

-

Felix: How are you today? Andy: Please don’t make me think about my life.

[ts-janus-rp-blog]

In the depths of Thomas’s mind, the dark side area laid. It was cold, dark and damp. Nobody dared enter unless they were already a dark side. The halls echoed most of the time and the darks could hear one another as they passed through the halls.

And, well. Roman was wandering these halls. Shaking, crying and without any clothes other than some boxers he’d managed to slip on in the short amount of time he had before having to run so Virgil didn’t wake up and catch him again. Bruises littered his small body and he often just couldn’t take it anymore. He was so dizzy all the time and so stressed-

Walking was quite the chore. Blood spilled from his cunt that sat between his legs, his body shaking and shivering. Hairs standing on end as he walked the halls, his sobs echoing quietly- He would call for his brother, then Janus, then just beg for someone, anyone to come save him. He was close to blacking out, bruised up and smelling awful. Cum had dried in his hair and all over his chest- which was covered in hickeys. Especially around the scars of his surgery. He could hardly walk, and was bare foot. He was the smallest side out of all of them.

He got to an area that seemed like a living room, and through his bleary and very quickly darkening vision he spotted someone sitting on the couch. Well, two someone’s.

“Bubby!” He cried out, just like when he and Remus were young. His voice cracked as he sobbed. “I need you…” he heard footsteps rushing to him before…oh, down he goes. Oh dear.

@remy-roleplays

Janus took one look at him, and within that one look he knew exactly what had happened. The moment he rushed over to Roman he took him and his brother to his room, where Virgil won't be able to get them there. He took one look at Remus and he knew he also needed to calm down. Cause knowing Remus he won't hesitate on finding Virgil and beating him to a pulp. But they can't do that... The light sides and Thomas... They are convinced that Virgil is a 'good' guy. A light side just like the others. And if Remus shows up and beats Virgil, well...they'll only portray them in an even worse of an image. The others are so deep into Virgil's manipulation that they can't see the truth. That Virgil is a monster. And all of them are puppets in this monsters grand plan. And this will only help Virgil and his plan in painting him as this innocent light side who can't do no wrong. Even if they drop Roman like this into the light sides kitchen, no one will believe him. Just like they didn't believe him about Virgil. They'll think that Janus did it and is only attempting to paint Virgil in the bad light. Just like always when he tried to tell the truth. Cause he's Janus. He's deceit. Deceit lies. Deceit can never tell the truth. Everything he says is backwards...

So, to calm Remus down he sent him to his room and he put a protective barrier around it. So no one can go in and out. Eventually he'll burn himself out. But for now, he's got more important matters at hand.

He helped clean Roman off, even giving him a bath to scrub off all the white liquid and to help his wounds. He could just flick his wrist and get it all out but he figured that Roman would feel better after a scrub down. He got him some of Remus clothes, which isn't the best but it'll do. And he placed him down to the bed after bandaging him up. After that he sat beside him in bed, simply waiting for the prince to wake up.

Janus feels awful about this. He wasn't strong enough to stop Virgil from his onslaught. He wasn't strong enough to stop his plans once it was set to motion. And he wasn't strong enough to click in that his plans are even starting. He wasn't strong enough to help Roman when he needed it. He wasn't strong enough...

And he's suppose to be the mother hen here. Just like Patton is the dad for the light sides. He's the mother hen. He protects others from the sidelines. He protects Thomas from the side lines. He protects his boys. Until Virgil turned evil, that is. But...he still protects Remus too. And yet he wasn't strong enough to protect Roman... He wasn't strong enough to protect anyone. What sort of mother hen is he if he can't protect anyone? If he isn't strong enough to protect anyone? Awful, awful excuse for a side... Awful...

@remy-roleplays

[mandoalorian]

I Believe In Love [Maxwell Lord x F!Reader] — Four: Lies

Summary: When you find your calling to leave Themyscira, you venture out to the World of Man with intentions of helping and healing a very specific person's relationship with his son. You've heard his voice before, but only in dreams. You've felt his pain and anguish and you've never been able to relate to anything more. But things don't come easy for you, and they certainly don't come easy for him either. [This series contains spoilers for WW84 and is my interpretation of what happens after the movie ends].

Warnings: brief mention of blood, allusions to an abusive household/family, mention of child custody battle, 80s typical misogyny, cursing.

Word count: 5,200>

Masterlist

I Believe In Love Masterlist

Previous - Chapter Four - Next 

-—-—-—-

He'd lied. You read the name over and over again, the crumpled letter shaking in your hands. Lorenzano. Lorenzano. Lorenzano. He wasn't Max Lord, he was Maxwell Lorenzano and you had no idea how he could lie to you - or better yet, why he would lie to you? There was a reason for everything. You might’ve been new to the world of man, and you might not yet understand their conditions and way of life, but it didn’t change the fact that this hurt. He was your first friend - your first real friend who wasn’t a child. He accepted you into his home, and he even believed you when you told him who you are. You had opened up about being a literal goddess from the secret haven Themyscira, and he hadn’t even told you his real name.

And then, your visions of him… memories and dreams… they hit you one by one. Now you could finally put a face to the voice that had been haunting you. He was the child you saw when you had fallen asleep in Black Gold Cooperative, the child who was getting bullied for the clothes he wore, and his shoes. You felt foolish not realising it sooner. The image of ‘Little Lorenzano’ getting tormented perfectly paralleled the way Alistair had gotten cornered in the park earlier today. Your heart ached for them both.

Max Lord was clearly putting on a brave face in front of you. But now that you knew who he really was, you knew that he was deeply hurting, and he needed your help. He might not realise it, but this is why you were here. You’d come to the world of man to fulfil your duty as the Goddess of Home and Hearth for a reason and Zeus had deliberately connected you with Alistair and Maxwell. This was your purpose. They were your purpose.

You smoothed out the letter to the best of your ability, deciding that if you were to help him, you should probably read it. You had hope that it would help you understand things and allow you to piece together the puzzle. You glanced back at the speckles of his blood in the sink, and the smashed vase on the floor. Whatever was in this letter had clearly angered him.

I, Theodore Thomas IV, share a bond with Miss Grey and recognise that she is a caring and devoted mother. We are in full belief that Alistair Lorenzano would be better off, in the care of his biological mother.

A bond. You were quickly able to identify that Julianna Grey was the mother of Alistiar, although the bond between she and Theodore Thomas IV had not yet become clear to you. Your heart would usually find warmth in the revelation that Julianna was, in fact a ‘caring and devoted’ mother, but instead it grew cold. As the goddess of home and hearth, you could sense the lie in his words. You wanted to believe that Julianna was a good mother, but your intuition said otherwise. These were your powers - and there was no way you were wrong about this. Despite the immediate concern you had for Allistair, you pushed the feeling to the back of your brain and forced yourself to continue reading the letter.

Mr Maxwell Lorenzano and Miss Julianna Grey divorced on the seventh month of 1980 after being married for two years. Miss Grey notes that their relationship was strained since the beginning, with Mr Lorenzano too preoccupied with his career to focus on his family.

Marriage - Max and Julianna were married. It was something you had read about back on Themyscira when you had spent time educating yourself on the ‘way of man’. Marriage was, supposedly, a sacred ritual that joined together the spirits of two people in the name of love. And love was the fundamental principle that would create a family. At the core of a family, was love, and that was the most important thing. Your eyes flicked back up the final sentence of the first paragraph; “We are in full belief that Alistair Lorenzano would be better off, in the care of his biological mother.” You couldn’t help but shake your head profusely. These people wanted to take Alistair away from Max? There was no way. Theodore may think that Julianna deserves Alisitair, but it was never going to be about ‘deserve’. It could only be about love. And you knew for certain that Maxwell loved Alistair with his whole heart.

I have known Miss Grey since 1980, after working on her and Mr Lorenzano’s divorce case. As not only her partner, but also a trusted lawyer of our capitol’s legal enforcement, I can whole-heartedly ensure that sole custody of Alistair Lorenzano must be granted to Miss Julianna Grey.

Divorce was something you weren’t so familiar with, and you figured it should be something you ask Maxwell about at a later date. It was at this moment you learned that Theodore was Julianna’s partner, lover, even. No wonder he thought so highly of her. There was no question about it. You knew you had to pay Julianna and Theodore a visit to see for yourself. You had to see the truth.

Please find us at the District Columbia Court, D.C., in one week from the date stated on the letter. If you make no effort to show and fight your case, you will be banished from seeing Alistair until he turns eighteen years of age.

Banishment? The thought of splitting up Max and Alistair filled you with the most excruciating pain. You couldn’t let this happen. You wouldn’t let this happen.

Sincerely,

Ted

So Theodore was Ted and Maxwell was Max. If you had known that names in the world of man could fluctuate so much, maybe you wouldn’t have gotten mad so mad at Max for lying about his name. After catching the address on the envelope, you engrained it in your memory and carefully folded up the letter and placed it in the pocket of the Maxwell’s pinstripe shirt that he had given you to wear. Now you just had to figure out a way to get to the address on the letter.

You spent some time sweeping up the shattered glass on the floor, and cleaned up the sink before padding back into the living room and sliding your feet back into your gladiator sandals, buckling them up. You even picked up the lasso of truth and tied it around your waist so it acted like a makeshift belt on you. There was no way you were going to leave it behind. You took another look at the photo frame that was on the small table next to the couch and picked it up. You smiled as you felt the exact same love that Maxwell felt when he was in the photo, holding baby Alistair. Just looking at the family portrait filled you with so much joy. You knew that Max’s love for his son was genuine.

Turning the frame over, you opened it up and took the glossy polaroid out, placing it in the same pocket of your shirt. You loved the photo and you wanted to take it wherever you went. 

It was cold outside, and the sky was a deep shade of blue. There was definitely a draft, and you wondered if you should’ve changed back into your Amazonian warrior gear. The oversized shirt that Maxwell had given you, as well as the gladiator sandals, didn’t really provide you with the greatest amount of warmth. You weren’t even wearing anything on your legs.

A small old lady with a zimmer frame was walking down the street. “Oh wow!” she exclaimed, looking you up and down, presumably judging your outfit of choice. “You have very nice legs, but aren’t you cold?”

You looked down at your legs, noticing the goose pimples, and nodded in confirmation. “Yes, but I’ll be okay. Do you think you could help me with something?” you asked curiously, watching as she raised her eyebrows.

“Me? Help you? What could little old me-”

You took the letter out of your pocket and pointed to the address. “How do I get here?”

She adjusted her glasses and squinted. “Thomas Family Lawyers,” she read out loud, before turning back to you. “Honey, this law firm is on the other side of Georgetown. You best call a cabbie, especially this late in the evening.”

“A cabbie?” you asked, shivering in the cold. “I’m sorry… I’m not from round here.” you shrugged helplessly.

“Let me help you.” the old lady said, reaching into her purse and bringing out an enormous 1984 brick-like cell phone. The contraption shocked you, and you even wondered how she had fit it in her bag. She pulled out the antenna and began to dial a number. “Hi, could I get a pre-paid taxi to Thomas Family Law Firm, Georgetown? Thank you,” She put the phone back in her purse and offered you a smile. “A cab won’t be long. I’m Mrs Stagg, by the way. Might I enquire… why are you going to a family law firm when you’re not even from the area?”

“To help a friend.” you returned the smile.

“Does your friend live in this neighbourhood?” 

“He does. Um… his name is Max Lord?” you explained but the way it left your lips made it sound more like a question. Lord? Lorenzano? What difference did it make?

“Ah,” was the small sound that emitted from Mrs Stagg’s throat. “Max Lord, the oil guy. My son Simon is- was an investor for Maxwell’s company. From what I heard, the company is bust. A joke. Max Lord has been scamming the entire nation for years.”

“Scamming?” you asked, confused. “I don’t understand.”

“Black Gold Cooperative have shares in oil fields all around the world, only, the oil fields have completely dried up, you know - with the Cold War and all. But he kept going… kept making those silly infomercials and selling his dream. ‘Anything you want, you can have it.’ or something like that.” Mrs Stagg scoffed, shaking her head incredulously. You recognised the quote from when you had seen him all suited up on the television. 

“I don’t… I don’t understand. Why would he lie to the whole country?” you beckoned further, despite the conversation bringing you some uncomfort. Max had seemed like a genuinely good guy and a loving father up until this point. 

“For money, I suppose. That’s all it’s ever about with folk like him. Money. I chastise my son for it too. He’s the CEO of Stagg Industries and the only reason I could live in such a beautiful neighbourhood like this one. He bought my home here,” she beamed proudly. “But, I don’t know much about Max Lord. Don’t really see him around on the streets either. He must be cooped up in his office most of the time. Hey, you’re his friend. Maybe you should ask him why he’s nothing but a low-life conman.” 

Her words stung, and they weren’t even about you. You were completely lost for words, and surprised that she had so much hate in her heart for Max. Granted, if he was rivals with her son, it would make sense, but she did raise many questions that concerned you greatly. When the taxi pulled up, she paid the driver and helped you into the passenger seat. “I don’t know Max Lord,” she whispered from the other side of the car door. “But please darling, be careful.” She warned you before the cabbie whisked you away.

Your concept of time was slightly askew, but you figured the journey to the law firm lasted twice as long as the journey from Black Gold to Max’s home. You looked out the window taking in the stunning city at night. The buildings were all lit up and reflected against the windows, creating a glitter in your eye. There was nothing like this on Themyscira. No tall skyscrapers, no enormous shopping malls or company buildings. D.C. was booming, and it was beautiful. The journey allowed you to process Mrs Stagg’s words and think even more about Max. Clearly, both Julianna and Theodore had their reasons not to like Maxwell, and now, so did Mrs Stagg and her son Simon. You had to speak to Max and confront him. You knew there was more to him than what meets the eye.

Thomas Family Lawyer’s was a big building, not as big as Black Gold Cooperative, but it was still big. Just as you went through the revolving doors (which you had now grown accustomed to, due to your time spent and Max’s office) a group of girls began to file out. Whilst Raquel had been somewhat confused by your presence, these girls shot you the most evil of stares.

“Do you know what time it is? Office hours are closed. Why are you here?” One girl with sleek black hair spat coldly. You practically winced at the malice in her voice.

“Oh, I’m here to see Theodore Thomas?” you said slowly, nervously biting your lip.

“Who are you?” quizzed the same ebony haired girl.

“I’m a friend of Max Lord.” was the only thing you could come out with. Maxwell had warned you to refrain from identifying yourself as the ‘goddess of home and hearth’ in front of the public. He told you that people won’t believe him like he does, and that they’ll think you’re crazy. You had no choice but to believe him.

“Max Lord!” a red haired girl gasped, and a shorter blonde girl slapped her hand over the redhead’s mouth. “Sorry,” the redhead muffled as the blonde girl removed her hand. “He’s just so sexy.”

“But you know we’re not supposed to like him.” The blonde girl hissed.

“Huh?” you asked, knotting your eyebrows together. “Not supposed to?”

The ebony haired girl let out a longing groan. “Will the both of you just shut up?” she grimaced, glaring at the other two girls before looking back at you with that same mean stare. “Turn left, his office is the big one at the bottom of the corridor. You’re lucky he’s working late tonight.” 

“Yeah, on his girlfriend’s case.” The redhead said weakly.

“Can you not keep your mouth shut?” Snapped the black haired girl. “Why would you say that in front of this hobo stranger when she’s just said she’s Max Lord’s friend. She doesn’t need to know that Mr Thomas is working on the custody case! It’s a wonder he hasn’t fired you yet for being so stupid.”

You had zoned out of the pointless conversation about mid-way through anyway. Those girls were nothing but rude to each other anyway. You slipped past them and down the corridor until you reached two double doors, not hesitating for a second to open them up.

There, with his head buried down into a pile of papers, was a dark haired man in a tight fitted suit. He abruptly looked up when you had entered his office, his mustache wavering in bewilderment as he took in the appearance of a girl who was wearing nothing but an oversized button up shirt and brown strapped gladiator sandals. “C-can I help you?” he gulped, relishing the sight of his body like it was the sweetest view he’d ever come across. You crossed your bare legs together awkwardly, feeling slightly vulnerable by the way he was staring at you. 

“Are you Theodore Thomas IV?” you asked.

“I am.” the dark haired man confirmed, shuffling around in his leather seat.

You nodded, turning around to close the double doors behind you and walking over to his desk. You took out the crumpled up letter that had been addressed to Maxwell Lorenzano and slid it over the expensive oak wood. “What is this?” you questioned. Theodore took out his reading glasses before analysing it.

“Where did you get this letter?”

“Max Lord is my friend.” you gulped, folding your arms over your chest. “And this letter…”

“You mean Maxwell Lorenzano?” Theodore scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Listen, I’m not here to discuss that low-life loser, okay? I have more pressing matters to deal with.”

“So do I.” you persisted. “This letter…”

“Unless you’re his lawyer, and I doubt you are,” he snarled, looking at you up and down with the utmost disdain. “I will not be discussing the letter with you. Friend or not, it’s confidential.”

“I’m here to help him.” you gritted out, unable to believe the anger that dripped from your own tongue. It was true, you were angry. You were angry at the way everyone was so against Maxwell Lord, and you were angry at the fact the reason remained so unclear. Every new person you met didn’t like him, and you just wanted to know why.

Your words did pique the curiosity of Theodore, however. He raised an eyebrow and leaned over his desk, his gaze not breaking from you once. “Help him? You mean, you’ll be representing him in court?” You weren’t sure what that meant, but you nodded your head. If this was the only way you could get information out of Theodore Thomas IV, then so be it. “Do you even have any legal experience?”

“What? No. I told you, I’m just his friend.”

Theodore let out a boisterous laugh, the level of volume making you flinch. “Shit, he can’t even afford his own lawyer. I didn’t realise it was that bad,” he assumed. “Excuse me for one second.” he pointed a finger and dialled a number on the telephone.

Meanwhile, Maxwell was Julianna’s home. When Alistair heard his dad’s voice, he came running downstairs to greet him. “Daddy!” he called excitedly, running into his father’s arms. “You came back!” Maxwell picked up Alistair and spun him around, pressing a loving kiss to his son’s forehead.

“What do you want Maxwell?” Julianna sighed, tapping her foot impatiently against the marble floor of the lobby.

“To talk,” Max answered, placing Alistair back down on the floor. “Just us two. Uh- is Ted here?”

“Lucky for you he’s working late at the firm. Working on our damn case,” Julianna shook her head before turning to face her son. “Alistair, go to your room.” she commanded.

“But I want to see daddy!” Alistair cried, tears pricking his dark brown eyes.

“He can stay.” Maxwell negotiated but the comment was completely lost on Julianna.

“Go. To. Your. Room.” Julianna barked angrily, which sent a frightened Alistair running back to his bedroom.

“Shit Julianna, he’s just a kid. No need to talk to him like that.” Maxwell frowned, his ex-wife’s tone reminding him of his own father’s.

“Now Maxwell, I know you’re not giving me parenting advice, are you?” she asked sarcastically. Maxwell noted how bitter she had become, or perhaps, how bitter she always was. “I’m assuming you’re here to talk about the case. Try and change my mind. Well, you can’t.”

“Julianna, I know things have been rough between us since the divorce but I just want what’s best for Alistair. I love him so much.” Maxwell revealed.

“Bullshit!” Julianna scowled. “All you do, Max, is speak bullshit. You want what’s best for him? You’ll allow me and Ted to have full custody of Alistair. You’re a shit father and you know it.”

“I know- I know I’m messed up. I mean, I’ve messed up in the past but, something happened. Something inside me woke up and I’m ready to step up Julianna. I’ve changed, please just believe me. I love Ali-”

“You don’t deserve him,” Julianna growled. “You know what Maxwell? You’re nothing but a deadbeat. Just like your father was.”

Maxwell felt his face turn red with rage at his ex-wife's comment. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles had even turned white. “I am nothing like my father!” Maxwell yelled defensively as the anger bubbled within him. He wanted to cry. Every time a memory of his own abusive father came up, it made Max want to curl up into a whole and cry. It broke him.

Before Julianna could reply, the phone on the wall began to ring. Julianna answered it.

“Hey, Julie?” Theodore was on the line, still laughing from his talk with you. “Baby, you won’t believe this.”

“What is it?” Julianna asked hesitantly, twirling the wire of the phone around her finger.

“Some girl- some half naked girl is here- in my office claiming to be a friend of Maxwell,” Theodore spluttered. You frowned at his tone of voice as he talked about you, right in front of you. Julianna turned to Maxwell in bewilderment, who was just standing there and had no idea what was going on. “She’s saying she’s going to represent him during the custody trial.”

“What?” Julianna spat. “Who the fuck is she?”

“I don’t know! Never seen her in my life. Pretty little thing though, I guessed maybe he’s fucking her? Not sure. She says she’s living with him.”

“Living-” Julianna couldn’t help but repeat her boyfriend’s words. “Teddy, Maxwell is here. Right now. Can you come home and… bring her with you? I want to have words with her.”

“Got it. See you soon sweetie.” Theodore finished before hanging up the phone.

Julianna turned to Max. “That was Theodore. He says some half naked girl has shown up to his office claiming to be a friend of yours.”

Maxwell’s eyes went comically wide as his greatest fears became realised. “What? No, no- there’s no way. That’s impossible. I told her to stay at home- how the hell did she get to Thomas Family Lawyer’s?”

“You’re asking me?” Julianna gasped in disbelief. “Who the hell is she, Max?”

Max was so confused and shocked, he couldn’t even find words. If you had found your way to Theodore’s office, that meant you had read the letter. It also meant that you knew his name. And finally, it meant that you had completely invaded your privacy. Part of Maxwell was mad, but an even bigger part of him was confused as to how you ended up on the other side of Georgetown in the office of his ex-wife’s current boyfriend. You weren’t even from round here, hell, you’d only gotten into a car for the first time today. Julianna and Theodore weren’t the only ones who had a thousand questions. Maxwell did too.

When you arrived at the Thomas family home, you looked at it with complete adoration, just like how you looked at Maxwell’s home. It was extensive in size, with beautiful pillars and adorned with flowers on every corner. Maxwell and Julianna were waiting for you and Ted in the dining room. Ted hung up his suit jacket on the coat peg in the lobby and you slowly followed him into the dining room. Unlike Maxwell’s home, which was covered with photographs of Alistair, you couldn’t spot a single picture of the bright eyed child in any of the rooms you passed. You wondered why.

When you entered the room, Julianna’s and Maxwell’s jaws both dropped in unison. “She’s wearing your shirt!” Julianna screeched, pointing her finger accusingly at you. 

“Yeah? So fucking what?” Maxwell shot back. “I didn’t realise you can police my wardrobe now!”

Your gaze flicked between Maxwell and Julianna who were already arguing with each other. "Can we settle down?" Theodore intervened, placing his briefcase down on the table.

Maxwell turned to you and took a deep breath. "Why- why didn't you put on some clothes before you left the house?" he sighed, closing his eyes as he tried to keep his composure.

"I- I didn't have any clothes and. I didn't know if it was normal to dress like this in the world of man." you admitted sheepishly, feeling embarrassed that you'd made a fool of yourself and seemingly Maxwell too.

"The world of what?" Julianna scrunched up her nose. "She has no clothes? Maxwell, where did you pick this whore up?"

You stiffened up at her harsh words and Maxwell's dark eyes snapped open. "Don't call her that," he warned. "She's… different. Look, I can't explain now but-"

Julianna turned to Theodore. "I want her out of my house. She's a fucking prostitute."

"She's not a prostitute," Maxwell sighed, running his fingers through his dark blonde hair as the stress engulfed him. "She's just a friend."

"I want her out." Julianna reiterated, her voice like venom.

"I- I can wait by the car," you told Maxwell timidly. He didn't reply, instead just putting his head in his hands. You turned to Julianna and Theodore. "I apologise for any intrusion I may have brought upon you both." you said before walking away.

Even before you got to the front door, you'd heard them start fighting again. Maxwell wasn't yelling, but Julianna was so loud and accusing. You couldn't help but feel like she brought around such a toxic environment.

As you leaned against Maxwell's car, you looked up at the upstairs window. It was illuminated, signifying that the light was on. It was so cold and you couldn't help but sigh as you waited for your friend to return and take you home— if he still liked you, that is. After everything that had gone on, you wouldn't be surprised if he just left you on a street corner to fend for yourself. 

You were delighted when you saw Alistair in the illuminated window. He poked his head around the curtains, smiling and waving immediately when he saw you. You grinned back, thankful to see the sweet boy and to know that he was okay. The smile on his face dropped and although you couldn't hear what was going on back in the house, you could tell by his expression that there was something wrong. Alistair disappeared from the curtains and you began to untie the lasso of Hestia from your waist. Swinging the rope around in the air, you attached it to Alistair's balcony and swung yourself up to the third storey of the Thomas family home. You quietly tapped on his window. After only a few seconds Alistair returned and let you in.

You clambered back into the house, finding yourself in the little boys bedroom. "Hey Alistair, how you doing?" you smiled, kneeling down and giving your friend a hug.

"I'm good, I'm so glad to see you again!" Alistair confessed with a toothy grin. "How did you get up here?" Alistair asked curiously, stepping out onto the balcony and looking at the long way down from where you had been standing by his father's car.

You gulped. "Can you keep a secret?" you whispered. Alistair nodded enthusiastically. "Okay." you showed Alistair your lasso, and he watched it with bright eyes as it glowed gold. If you could trust Max, you knew for a fact you could certainly trust Alistair. After all, they were your purpose. They were the reason you had found yourself in the world of man.

"Whoa, what is it?" Alistair asked, pointing his finger hesitantly, as if he wanted to touch it but not sure if it would hurt him.

"It's magical," you revealed. "My mother Hestia gave me it. It lets people see the truth, and speak the truth. It knows when you're lying."

"...And it helps you climb up really tall buildings? Like Spiderman?" Alistair asked with wide eyes.

You giggled. "Yes."

"Can I try?" Alistair beckoned further.

"Maybe one day," you promised him. "It can be difficult to learn, but I'd love to teach you." 

You and Alistair both gasped as you listened in on what was going downstairs. You heard footsteps, and it sounded like Max was leaving. You rose to your feet and approached the window again, unravelling your lasso. "Hey, I have to go now. Listen, you can't tell Julianna or Ted that I was up here, okay? I don't think they like me."

"Oh, they don't like anyone who's associated with daddy." Alistair frowned, but nodded understandingly. "Are you going home with daddy?"

"I hope so." you replied, because there was really no way of telling where you stood with Maxwell at this point in time.

"Good," Alistair beamed, and in that moment, you recognised his smile to be the spitting double of his father's. "Because I like it when you're around daddy. He's not as miserable."

You tilted your head but had no time to question Alistair because you heard the front door open. Swinging back on your lasso, you attached it to the branch of a tree and dropped back down to the front of the porch where Maxwell's car was parked. Wrapping your lasso back around your waist, you pretended like you hadn't moved from the car— like you had been waiting for him this entire time.

"Good night!" Maxwell called but earned no response, only the slam of the front door. He sighed deeply and slumped his shoulders in defeat before turning to face you. His lips were curled into a frown and he shook his head as he approached you, sliding past you and unlocking the car door. "Get in." he told you, to which you obliged and slipped into the passenger seat.

Maxwell dropped his head to the wheel of the car in frustration. He wanted to scream. Cry. Yell. Curse. He hated this. He hated having to fight for what was already his. He needed Alistair— his life would be empty without his son. There was no question about it. And unfortunately for Max, he was beginning to lose all hope.

"Are you okay?" You asked, feeling as though the question was a stupid one considering the disheveled look on Maxwell's face. You placed a hand on his back with full intention to be comforting. He didn't reply. After a few seconds of silence, you heard his sobs. You heard his whimpers and chokes. "Oh Max." you whispered quietly, rubbing his back.

"I can't— I can't fucking do this," Maxwell cried, tears dripping down his cheeks and falling onto the steering wheel. "They're right— what they say about me— they're all right. I'm a monster."

You winced, shaking your head at his comment. "You are not a monster." you assured him.

"You don't even know me," Maxwell huffed before glaring at you, the tears still falling. "You're just— you're just some random girl who came into my life at the wrong fucking time and— I don't even know why you're here. Why are you here?" He said your name like it was poison and the desperation in his voice was enough to make your heart ache.

You swallowed. "When I found out your name, your real name, I knew for certain… Zeus brought me to you and Alistair for a reason. Everything is so clear now. Max, I'm here to help you."

"I'm screwed— we’re screwed. It's pointless. There's nothing we can do. We can't go up against them. Julianna is a fucking psycho and Ted is one of the best family lawyers in the state—"

"And I'm the daughter of Zeus and Hestia. I'm the Goddess of Home and Hearth and I will not let them rip you away from Alistair." you promised with pure determination in your voice. The change of your tone was enough to make Maxwell stop crying and look up to you like you were his saviour. His angel. And despite everything that happened, despite the feeling of complete hopelessness, he believed you.

The war began now.

-—-—-—-

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[tommydarlings]

When i was your girl

pairing: Tom Holland x singer!reader

warnings: suicide, character death, sad and just heartbreaking 

w/c: 1.4k

Requests: OPEN

Summary: After y/n´s heartbreaking Music Video, Tom decides to fix it all because it isn´t to late, right? 

that is the part 2 of “Grenade” :) 

Music Video -> tap here

masterlist

"You have to find her and talk to her Thomas" Nikki said in a quiet voice to her son. "What if she doesn't let me talk to her?" he replied. "She will," said Dominic, who was sitting on the couch next to Tom and Nikki. "You can't push her away forever for a mistake you made!" Harry shouted. Harry was the most aggressive in the whole thing... but he also had a good reason for it. You were his only friend he had trusted with his life, and that's exactly what he lost because of his brother. When he first heard the news, he wanted to kill Tom, but he held back because he knew that's not something you'd want.

The TV ran in the background when the whole Holland family was still trying to make Tom realize that he needs to talk to her urgently, otherwise he will never get you back.

"And if she rejects you... You tried it, okay?" said Sam to his older brother who was just in deep thoughts,

What if it's too late and she has a new one? What if she doesn't even want to see me anymore? Where the hell is she anyway? What is when-

Tom's thoughts were interrupted by the TV.

--- REGISTRATION ---

Everyone watched TV. A reporter with a sad look came into the picture. Everyone looked at the TV with a confused look until the reporter finally spoke after taking a deep breath,

"Uhhh, okay... I'm very sorry, dear viewers, to tell you that... the famous singer y/n y/l/n was found dead at a train station in New York, USA, this afternoon. "

Everyone in the house was speechless until Harry shouted, "NOOOOO, THIS IS FAKE, TELL ME THIS IS FAKE!" Tom started crying like a waterfall. "Mum, please say that's fake," Paddy said with tears in his eyes. "I'm s-sorry guys, but I b-believe it's true," Nikki replied with a stuttering voice and tears ran down her cheeks.

Behind the Reporter was a monitor showing a picture of you and Tom. In the picture you and Tom kissed in the middle of the stressful streets of London. One of Tom's favorite pictures.

"About half a year ago, y/n had caught her past boyfriend Tom Holland, also known as Spiderman in the MCU, cheating on her. The police are not sure if it was suicide or if it was an accident, they are trying to discover it. When it was suicide, do you think she did it because of Tom? "said the reporter.

Tom suddenly felt guilty. He never thought you'd do anything like that in life, but maybe he was just too busy giving another woman pleasure behind your back...

"Okay, new news!" said the reporter, which brought everyone back to the TV in the room. "They actually found live footage where the police officers investigating at the station... I'm very sorry to tell you that now but... It was pure suicide.

Everyone´s heart broke into a thousand pieces. Nobody could believe what they just heard...

"Next to the dead body we found some things from y/n. First, the police could find a polaroid photo of y/n and tom and next to it was a small note on "Love can kill you" was written on it. " Explained the reporter.

"Oh my God," Nikki whispered quietly, but everyone heard it.

"The officers were also able to find her cell phone next to the glides on which they found y/n." On the monitor has now been displayed a picture of her phone, the note and the polaroid image. "A record recording with the title " When i was your girl " was also found on the phone. Maybe it's a new song she wanted to release? "

It was already quite late and everyone was already exhausted, so, everyone made their way to bed after they had wiped away their tears.

- 

The next morning, Tom got a call from an unknown number. He sat down on the couch in the living room where his family was and took the call. "Hello, Tom Holland here." He said into the phone.

"Hello, Officer Walker speaks here, Could you come to the police station in London?" Tom explained to his parents where he had to go and after he got dressed he went there.

Once there, Tom got your phone and a date was set for your funeral. Tom thanked him for getting the phone and before Tom left, the officer said something else,

"She trusted you, and only you... The last wish was to play her record recording 'When i was your girl' to you... Maybe you play it at her funeral? "said the officer to Tom who got tears in his eyes again.

"Okay, I'll do, thank you," Tom replied. He drove home and told his family everything. "Should we play it at her funeral?" Dominic sighed.

"I'd like to do it... If that was her wish... "Tom said with a calm and fragile voice. Everyone agreed and tried to process it all.

The day of the funeral came and the Hollands and friends & family of you were at your funeral. After everyone wiped their tears and the pastor had finished his speech, it was Tom's turn,

"Okay, uhh... I think everybody knows what I did to y/n and uh... I know it won't help, but I apologize for what I did and I hope you can all forgive me. I loved her and still love her and I will never forget what a disgusting and arrogant person I was the day I cheated on her... She recorded one more song before she died. I've never heard the song before, but it was her last wish... The title is' When i was your girl '. Let's start it please."

 Same bed but it feels just a little bit bigger now,

Our Song on the Radio but it don´t sound the same,

When our friends talk about you all it does is just tear me down,

Cause my heart breaks a little when I hear your name,

It all just sounds like, oooooh…

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize,

That I should have bought you flowers,

And held your Hand,

Should´ve gave you all my hours,

When I had the chance,

Take you to every Party,

Cause all you wanted to do was dance,

 Tom loved to dance, and you liked it too. But now Tom has to dance alone without her in his arms...

 Now my baby´s dancing,

But he´s dancing with another girl.

 "I would never dance with another girl except you darling" Tom whispered to himself as the tears started to spill.

 Your pride, your ego, your needs and your selfish ways,

Caused a women that I thought you love walk out of your life,

Now you never, never get to clean up the mess you made, ohhh

And it haunts me everytime I close my eyes,

It all just sounds like ooooooh,

Mmm, too young, too dumb to realize,

That I should have bought you flowers,

And held your Hand,

Should´ve gave you all my hours,

When I had the chance,

Take you to every Party,

Cause all you wanted to do was dance,

Now my baby´s dancing,

But he´s dancing with another girl,

 Everyone was dissolved in tears and just wanted you back. But that was unfortunately no longer possible.

 Although it hurts,

I´ll be the first to say  that i was wrong,

Oh, I know you really much too late,

To try and apologize for your mistakes,

But I just want you to know,

 "So she knew exactly when she was going to kill herself... She planned everything and wrote this song as a Goodbye message." whispered Tom to himself, but his family heard and started to cry even harder.

 I hope she buys you flowers,

I hope she holds your Hand,

Give you all her hours,

When she has the chance,

Take you to every Party,

Cause I remember how much you loved to dance,

Do all the things I should have done,

When I was your girl,

Do all the things I should have done,

When I was your girl.

 Tom took y/n's phone back in his hand to close the recording, but it wasn't over.

"Turn it off Thomas," Nikki said with a devastated voice.

"But it is not over yet- ,

Before Tom could finish his sentence, your voice came trough the speakers.

„Hello!“ Everyone held their breath before you talked. You let out a tiny laugh before you spoke,

 "I told you Tommy,

I jump infront of a train for you.“

a/n: That was the second Part aka. final part! Hope you like this video! Music Video is linked on the Top! Maybe listen to it while reading! :) You can message me Songs Requests in my askbox too! :) ily, liz <3

[maneskinrollercoaster]

~ We’re Everything To Each Other That We Ever Needed 2: Back To Black ~

Pairing: Ethan Torchio x Chiara Russo (fictional character)

Word count: 3313

Warnings: Smut, swearing.

Summary: Innocent theme party turns into something unexpected.

- Guys what’s the theme of the party? - Victoria shouted while standing in front of her wardrobe.

- Back to black - said Chiara, doing her makeup at the couch.

They were all preparing to go out for the party in one of the theme clubs in Rome. The club was unique, every party meant different dress code, different set up and different place. Damiano found it somewhere on Facebook and since Måneskin had a few days break from Europe tour they all decided to go and have some fun.

- Chi, will you do my eyeliner? - Vic asked coming into the living room.

- Of course, I’ll dress up and I’ll take care of you - Chiara winked to Vic and stood up from the couch.

She went upstairs to Ethan’s room. She left all her thing there since they were going out for the whole night. She opened the door and saw Ethan sitting on his bed with Chili - Victoria’s dog - on his lap.

-Chili - Chiara said coming up to them and taking her in her arms. - mi amore - she kissed her head.

Ethan was looking at the two of them lovingly. Since their steamy night in the hotel room, both of them got even closer with each other. They still didn’t know if relationship was exactly what they wanted at the moment but they were all good with the current situation, they were kissing and cuddling on the couch in front of Vic, Thomas and Damiano without any problem and the three of them were really supportive and understanding. Vic was joking around all the time about their friendship and sending them dirty looks but Chiara and Ethan didn’t mind. She was his first real love, his best friend and both of them decided to leave the things they way they are and eventually change something when the time was right.

- Are you gonna dress up now? - he asked pulling her closer to him, closing the gap between them.

She looked at him lovingly and smiled stroking his cheek with her palm, holding Chili with the second arm. He looked really handsome dressed all in black. Chiara leaned in to him.

- Yes, wanna watch? - she said seductively right before she planted a kiss on his warm lips.

Suddenly Chili started licking their faces, jumping in Chiara’s hands and they pulled away laughing.

- You sweet little Chili - Ethan said stroking her head and taking her from Chiara. - We’re gonna sit now and look while Chi is dressing up for the party, okey? - he said looking Chili into her eyes and putting her next to him on the bed. She barked quietly and pulled out her pink little tongue.

Chiara pulled out her black dress out of the bag along with a lace bra, lace thongs and black heels. She stripped down completely in front of Ethan and stood in front of the mirror. In the back she saw him biting his lip and looking at her hungrily. She was stunning and Ethan couldn’t take his eyes off of her beautiful tattooed body. He always wondered how he’s gotten so lucky to have someone so attractive like Chiara. She took the bra and her thongs and put them on. She looked really sexy. She then put on her heels and Ethan smiled at the image of her dressing down and dancing in front of him later when they’re back in the room. She grabbed the dress put it on and turned to Ethan.

- Can u zip it up? - she came up to him, turning around.

He stood up, gently grabbing the zipper and pulling it up. He pressed his chest to her back and planted a wet kiss on her bare neck. She sighed but pulled away, looking at him.

- Let’s go, Mr Needy. I need to do Victoria’s makeup. - Chiara said pulling Ethan towards the door.

- Can’t she do it by herself? - he said frowning - She’s doing her makeup for our every show, what happened that she can’t do it now? - he asked.

- She asked me to do it for her, now let’s go. - she said and they both went out of the room.

***

They were almost ready to go out. Chiara did Victoria’s makeup and helped Thomas with his tie, while Ethan was putting on his shoes.

- Where’s Damiano? Wasn’t he all dressed and ready to go? - Chiara asked looking around.

- He got a phone call and went upstairs. - Vic said, putting on her red lipstick.

- I’ll go get him. - Chiara said and went upstairs.

She stepped inside Damiano’s room and saw him sitting at the door to the balcony with a cigarette. His head resting on the wall, he looked upset.

- Heyyy, what’s going on? - Chiara said sitting next to him.

He looked at her with puffy eyes, messed up mascara running down his cheeks along with the tears. She was shocked.

- Dam, what happened? - she asked, putting her hand on his shoulder, encouraging him to speak to her.

- Giorgia called me, she said she’s leaving Italy and breaking up with me. - Damiano said and let out the smoke from the cigarette. - Do you understand? She broke up with me because she said she’s not able to do long distance and that it’s better for us both to go different ways. - he said with a breaking voice.

- Dami, but.. I don’t get it.. You were both so happy with each other. - Chiara said confused, stroking his back to calm him down.

Damiano and Giorgia were in a relationship for almost 3 years. He always talked about her and was all over her every second. Two weeks ago he told Victoria and Chiara that he’s planning to take her to Florence and propose to her on their three years anniversary. Chiara always thought that nothing will be able to break these two apart. They were inseparable.

- I don’t get it either, I was supposed to take her to Florence next week and propose and she just called me out of nowhere and said that it’s not gonna work between us. - he said looking at Chiara.

- When is she leaving? - she asked

- In 5 days. It’s unbelievable, I didn’t even know about her moving to England. - he said, letting down his head.

- Listen, we have 5 days to fix this. I’ll help you, but now let’s go and have fun. You can’t sit here alone, you’ll dance and party and have fun and tomorrow we will figure everything out. - Chiara said sending Damiano reassuring smile.

- Maybe you’re right, it can’t end like this. Maybe I just need some time out.. - he said slightly smiling back to her.

- Let’s go, they’re all waiting for us. - Chiara stood up and they both went out of Damiano’s room.

***

The music was loud, the lights were going crazy and there were plenty of empty beer bottles and vodka glasses. Chiara ran her hand on Ethan’s back and leaned in to his ear.

- Come dance with me - she said, putting her hand on his thigh.

- Chi, you know I don’t like to dance. - Ethan said politely - Besides, maybe you’ll take a break hm? You look tired. - he said and kissed her cheek.

Chiara was completely stoned. Earlier, she went with Vic and Damiano and they smoked 4 joints together. They went out from the toilet cabin all smiley and laughing and they went to play beer pong. Damiano and Thomas in one team and Vic with Chiara in another. Girls lost and they drank almost all the cups with the bear which made Victoria pass out on the couch next to Ethan.

- Nooo, I don’t want a break, I wanna dance with you. - Chiara said, resting her head on Ethan’s shoulder.

- If you want to dance then go, I’ll gladly watch you move your ass from here - He said laughing.

Ethan wasn’t drunk, but a couple of bears made him more talkative and cheeky.

- Alright, as you wish. - she said standing up, she smiled at him and walked away.

She walked up to dancing people and started moving her body with the rhythm. She was light-headed and she didn’t know what was happening, she wasn’t thinking sober when someone grabbed her hips and started dancing beside her. Chiara turned around to see Damiano completely drunk dancing in the middle of the dance floor.

- Let’s dance together- he shouted into her ear.

Chiara not knowing why started moving her body against his, pulling him closer. He started grinding on her and the desire was clearly seen between them. He touched her thighs and moved his hands up to her hips and her stomach. Chiara didn’t stop him tho. Her body started getting warmer and more tensed. They were both sweaty, enjoying the more and more sexual dance.

- Come with me - he whispered to her ear but loud enough for her to hear him through the music.

- Where? - Chiara asked smiling to him.

- Let’s have some fun - he said winking at her and pulling her after him.

They walked passed all they dancing people and Chiara was excited. Adrenaline rushing in her veins. They reached the toilet. He pulled her inside and closed the door quickly. She didn’t know what was happening. She didn’t protest though, her drunk and stoned mind took the control and a minute later she felt Damiano pushing her on the sink and kissing her. She was overwhelmed and surprised but Ethan was the last person she was thinking about. It sounded bad but at this moment she only focused on Damiano’s hands grabbing her hips and pulling her up so she was sitting on the counter next to the sink. He was kissing her passionately, squeezing her neck firmly and making her moan.

- Dami.. - Chiara sighed and ran her fingers through his hair.

- Do you want to keep going? - he asked kissing her collarbones.

- Ye.. yes.. - she moaned throwing back her head.

He pulled up a bottom of her dress and Chiara found herself unzipping his shorts. He quickly pulled them down and Chiara was surprised when she saw that Damiano wasn’t wearing any boxers. She knew it’s common with him but she was drunk and she completely forgot about everything. A second later she felt his erection inside her, he started off fast and Chiara not expecting such movements grabbed his hair with her one hand and his back with the other. They were making out and Damiano’s pace went faster and faster. She was moaning loud and a warm feeling in her stomach started to build up, letting her now that it won’t take long for her to reach the high.

- Feel good? - Damiano growled with his husky voice and grabbed Chiara’s face to make her look at him.

- Yes.. so good Dami - she moaned, her eyes completely black from desire.

It didn’t take them long until Damiano’s erection started twitching inside her and her walls clenching around him. His moves were sloppy and desperate and they both reached their climax moaning loudly.

Chiara jumped off the counter, breathing heavily. She fixed her dress and brushed her hair with her fingers. Her mascara was a bit messed up but she didn’t care. She turned to Damiano who zipped up his shorts and smirked at her. They both laughed.

- That was good - he said winking at her.

- Yeahhh - she said chuckling.

She opened the door and everything stopped. In front of her she saw Ethan. She turned all read, her mind immediately sobered up and she realized what she’s just done with Damiano. Ethan’s eyes were watery and full of pain. He looked at Damiano with a disgusted face. Chiara turned to him and saw her red lipstick stains on his neck. She didn’t know what to do. She looked at Ethan wanting to say something.

- Save it. You’re both disgusting. - Ethan said and started walking away quickly.

- Ethan, wait! - Chiara chased after him, feeling her cheeks getting wet from the tears.

She just had sex in a club bathroom with his best friend. She felt the guilt taking over her and she felt ashamed of herself. She was chasing after Ethan trying to stop him but he didn’t pay attention to her. And suddenly everything went black. She fell on the floor.

*next morning*

Chiara opened her eyes slightly. Sun was shining through the window and when she pulled herself up on her arms she realized she’s in Ethan’s bed. She grabbed her head trying to remember what happened last night. Suddenly she heard the door opening and second later Ethan entered the room. He looked at her with an emotionless face.

- Ethan - Chiara said and wanted to continue but she was interrupted.

- Don’t fucking talk to me, you’re so pathetic. - Ethan said harshly.

With these words she immediately got a flashback from last night. Dancing, Damiano, bathroom, kissing with Damiano and then having sex with him. She felt so ashamed of herself. Ethan was her everything and she betrayed him just like that with his best friend.

- Ethan.. - she started again.

- I said, don’t say a fucking word - he snapped back to her.

- Please, talk to me .. - she felt tears running down her cheeks.

Ethan was broken. He couldn’t believe that Chiara, his closest person that he opened up to completely, would betray him like that, in a club, in a bathroom, with Damiano. He felt useless at this point, he felt like he wasn’t enough, even for her. He loved her with everything he had and all she did was tear his heart apart.

- Talk about what, Chiara? Huh? You fucked with him! You fucked with Damiano while I was running around the club, worried like an idiot and searching for you! How could you do this to me! How the fuck could you betray me like that! - Ethan shouted to her completely loosing it, tears falling down his face.

- I’m sorry.. I was drunk, and high.. I didn’t know what I was doing.. - she tried to excuse herself. - I really didn’t mean for that to happen.. Please, you have to believe me. I love you and only you.. - she said slowly moving towards the edge of the bed.

- Love me? Don’t be fucking stupid! If you loved me you wouldn’t go with him to this bathroom and let him fuck you, Chiara! If you loved me you would have pushed him away! - he was getting more and more angry.

- Ethan, baby, I was drunk.. I swear I wasn’t thinking straight, I didn’t know what I was doing.. You have to believe me.. - Chiara now stood up and grabbed Ethan’s hand.

- Don’t call me that. - he said harshly throwing back her hand - Tell me, was he better than me? Huh? - he said with venom in his voice.

Chiara stayed silent, she didn’t know, the only thing she remembered was her being pushed on the sink, reaching the orgasm and Ethan’s eyes when he saw her leaving the toilet with Damiano.

- Answer me! - he shouted.

- No.. I don’t know.. I’m sorry.. - she said feeling all the guilt rushing in her veins. She felt disgusting.

Ethan went to the wardrobe, pulled out her dress that she was wearing last night and threw it to her.

- Put this on. - he said without any emotion.

- What? Why? - Chiara was confused, she looked at the dress and then back at Ethan.

- I said put this on. - he said through his teeth.

Chiara stripped down from her oversized T-shirt and put on the dress. Ethan then threw her the heels she was wearing and told her to put them on as well.

- Ethan, what is this all about? - she asked him when he grabbed her arm firmly and pulled her towards the bathroom.

She felt overwhelmed. She didn’t know what he was doing and what was about to happen, she was scared in some way.

Ethan pushed her inside the bathroom and looked at her with his dark, angry eyes.

- You’re gonna tell me every detail, and I will fuck you just the way he did. - Ethan growled and grabbed her face.

- What? But.. - she didn’t know what to say.

- Do as I said.

Chiara was shocked. Ethan never acted like that, she didn’t recognize him at all and she got scared by the way his hands wrapped around her neck.

- You don’t wanna talk now, huh? We’ll se if you’ll moan as loud as you did with him - Ethan pushed her harshly on the counter just the way Damiano did last night and she figured what was happening.

He squeezed her neck, pulled her up on the counter taking off the bottom of her dress and seconds later Chiara felt his tip inside her. She was overwhelmed, scared and ashamed. Ethan was angry, hell.. He was furious, he thrusted inside her harshly making her scream.

- Did he fuck you like this, Chiara? - he said grabbing her face so she was looking at him.

Chiara only moaned and turned all red, embarrassed. Ethan was so much better than Damiano. She knew that from the very first minute she met him. But she was drunk and her stoned mind made her enjoy sex with Damiano which was the worst mistake ever.

- Answer me! - Ethan raised his voice and he started thrusting harder, grabbing Chiara’s hips.

- Yes.. - she moaned loudly.

- Was he better than me? - another question rolled out of Ethan’s mouth.

- No.. no.. he wasn’t - Chiara’s body was sweaty but she felt weird.

Chiara was close to reaching her orgasm and Ethan felt it. He saw guilt and embarrassment on her face and he was proud of himself for making her feel that way. Chiara moaned and her walls started clenching around Ethan’s erection but suddenly he reached his climax thrusting harshly inside her and pulling out before she could reach her high. He did it on purpose.

- What.. what are you doing? - Chiara sighed, her breath heavy.

Ethan looked at her with no emotions. He grabbed her face and right in front of her lips he said:

- I hope you feel as much humiliated as I did when I saw you with him. - he said pushing away her face and looking with her with pure fury and pride in his eyes.

She was sitting at the counter with her dress pulled up, half naked and legs spread apart. She did feel humiliated, she felt betrayed at some point even tho she was the one who cheated and hurt Ethan. Her eyes turned watery and she couldn’t say a word, like a huge stone was stuck in her throat. She was sitting there looking at him shocked, watching his every move. Ethan pulled up his jeans, zipped them up and looked at her one last time.

- Consider us even. - he said.

Chiara could see a rude smirk on his face and tears fell down her cheeks. With that being said, he stepped out of the bathroom, leaving her alone.

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

Thank you for reading! ❤️

I know It’s long but I hope you got through it.

Do you guys want a 3rd part? Let me know in the comments!

Tag list [ @teenyweenynightghost ]

[emmy-writes-sometimes]

line without a hook

Pairing: Tom Holland x female! reader

Summary: Tom takes care of you after a party, forcing you to realize that maybe he’s who you should have been with all this time. 

Warnings: Cheating boyfriends, alcohol

-

“Where are you going?” Tom asked drowsily, sniffling upon walking into the bathroom you two shared. The smell of your perfume wasn’t overwhelming, but it smelled a little sweeter than normal. He saw steam coming from the hair tool you were using, too, and his eyes narrowed. 

“Party. Jack’s,” you responded, looking over at him. He had just woken up from his second nap of the day. He’d gotten back from filming possibly the most action-filled movie he could ever think of, and since then he’d been mostly nocturnal. 

“Oh. Let me know if you need me to come get you, I should be awake,” he shrugged as he reached for his toothbrush. “You look great, by the way. Be safe.” You turned to him as you shut off the hair tool and smiled. Tom was always so sweet to you - always willing to pick you up from parties, always taking your call even if he was in the middle of filming. You’d only met him through Harrison, but the two of you were closer than you ever thought you’d be. He just made you so happy. And until that night, so did your boyfriend of ten months, Jack. 

It was no secret that Tom hated him, though. There was always an excuse for him to not be there for you, even when Tom was. He would be working when you needed help with something, so Tom would do it. He said he was asleep the night you called him when you got in a car accident, so Tom came to be with you instead. It was a theme, and you deserved better. But Jack was such a sweet-talker that you didn’t even recognize when he was manipulating you. So, yeah. Tom hated the guy. 

You finished up in the bathroom and exited through the door that was attached to your room, just as Tom exited toward his room. You mumbled a goodbye and got your shoes on, then called a car to take you over to Jack’s. 

Quite honestly, Tom fell asleep halfway through a cutscene in his video game. He wasn’t really all that worried about you - you always went to parties at Jack’s and you always came home, safe and sound, even if it was the next morning. But he woke with a start, feeling as his phone vibrated against where he’d laid it in his sweatshirt pocket. Your contact picture lit up the screen, causing him to squint before turning down the brightness. He just barely missed the call, enough to see on his lock screen that you’d called twice already. 

He unlocked the phone to see that you’d left him two obviously drunk texts - one that said Tommyyyy come party! and another that said Comgin hmeo son, forgot my kye!! The latter of which had been two hours ago. He sighed and tried to look at your location on the map, but it was off for some reason. He called you, again, and you answered on the third ring. 

“Hey, what’s going on?” He asked in an obviously concerned voice. His concern got worse when you didn’t answer him right away - instead he stood up in the empty living room and eyed a pair of his brother’s shoes in the corner. 

“Tommy?” You cried. He stopped dead in his tracks, worry filling his stomach. 

“Hey, it’s me, what’s wrong?” 

“He cheated on me,” you sniffled. “I walked in to his room to go to bed ‘cause there’s a surge on Uber and I didn’t want to pay that much, but I knew you were busy, but he was in there with Jessica. Fucking Jessica. Fuck, Tom, I knew he was cheating on me.” 

“Where are you now?” He asked, walking into the kitchen to find his keys. Or anyone’s keys, really. 

“I’m on the front porch.” You hiccuped. You were still drunk. Drunk enough not to react to what Jack was doing and walk out the door instead. Tom found his car keys and ran out to the parking pad, trying to fight the anger that was building up inside of him. He imagined you felt probably the same way, only a lot more heartbroken. Tom was heartbroken, but for you. For the fact that this guy had fucked up not only his chances with you, but that he’d betrayed your trust and you would never be the same way again. But he was angry as hell, too, that anyone would have the nerve to hurt you like that. 

“I’m on my way, okay?” He said as he started up the car. 

“Okay. I’ll be here.” You hiccuped again, and then slid your finger on your screen until the call hung up. The party was still going on behind you, but you couldn’t care less. You were freezing cold, first of all, in your lack of clothes. Your makeup was running all over your face. Your phone was on four percent, and you weren’t sure if you even wanted it on at all. The music was blaring in Jack’s house, or his parents’ house that he just rented from them. Everyone inside was none the wiser, or didn’t care, about what had just happened. Finally Tom’s car pulled up and you stood, wobbly on your feet, watching as he got out. 

“Jesus Christ, you’re freezing,” he said as he walked forward, pulling off his jacket and throwing it over you. He put a hand on your head to make sure you wouldn’t hit it as you got in the car, shut the door behind you, and walked to the other side. 

“Thank you,” you mumbled as he sat down, shutting his own door. The silence in the car settled for a moment before he reached his hand over to yours and took your shaking fingers. 

“Let’s get you home.” You nodded and kept holding his hand, not able to bring yourself to let go. You were over your crying for the most part, but you had a feeling you’d never forget the image of your now ex-boyfriend and his fling. You were silent for most of the drive, and then as Tom pulled back into the driveway he repeated the same motion to get you out of the car. 

“Alright. I’m gonna fix you something to eat, okay? How does breakfast sound?” You nodded a little bit, walking over to the kitchen island to sit down. He went to the fridge and got you some cold water, setting it in front of you as he started making a single cup of coffee. He handed it to you as it was done, then started to get out a pan as quietly as he could. You watched as he made you food in silence, then put the plate of eggs and bacon in front of you. 

“Why are you being so nice to me?” You asked him. 

“Because,” he shrugged. “You’re one of my best friends. You got your heart stomped on, and you need to sober up before you remember everything and get sick because of it.”

“You sound like you’re speaking from experience,” you noted. 

“I am.” He acted like it was nothing to him, but he had remembered how he felt when his ex cheated on him. He’d felt like absolute scum, like it was his fault, even though he’d done nothing but love that girl as hard as he could have. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. Wouldn’t wish it on anyone. Just eat up, alright?” You nodded and finished eating as he took your phone upstairs, partially to plug it in and partially to hide it from your sight. Even though it was on one percent, he looked at the lock screen. Your ex hadn’t even cared enough to call you about it. What the fuck, he thought? Who could do that to you? 

“You done?” He asked as he watched you push the empty plate forward. You nodded, laying your head on top of your elbows on the table. He could smell alcohol in your hair, and so could you. You were becoming increasingly aware of what happened, too, but it hadn’t quite hit you yet. Nothing had hit you yet, and you weren’t sure you wanted it to. 

“I’m probably gonna sleep on the couch tonight,” you decided as you eyed the stairs. Yeah, there was no way that was happening. The thought made Tom laugh a little bit, but he wasn’t about to let you stay alone. 

“Do you mind if I keep you company? We can have a sleepover,” he said. He moved his hand to jokingly poke yours, trying to get a smile out of you. You didn’t feel much like smiling, but you nodded. 

“I’d like that.” He smiled. 

“Alright. I’ll be back in, like, five minutes. Go get something out of the laundry so you don’t smell like alcohol.” You nodded and stood up, walking over to the laundry room. You found a pair of your underwear that was drying and one of Tom’s exceptionally long sweatshirts and threw it on, sniffling. You looked at yourself in the mirror. You looked absolutely, positively wrecked. Tom appeared behind you, probably to make sure you were okay, and he paused in the doorway with a sigh. 

“I look awful,” you sniffled. 

“You’ve been through a traumatizing experience, you’re allowed to look awful. If you did. But you don’t. You never look awful.” He tried to cheer you up, but it didn’t quite work. 

“Thank you, Thomas, but I’m drunk and I can’t even walk up the stairs, I’m not boyfriend-less, and now you’re having a sleepover with me out of pity.” He scoffed.

“So you think pity’s the reason? You really hate me that much?” You rolled your eyes and stumbled back into the living room, where Tom had pulled out the part of the couch that had a built-in ottoman, basically making it a bed. It wouldn’t be the first time you and Tom had shared a bed-like surface. 

“Where’s my phone?” You asked, not seeing it on the coffee table next to Tom’s. 

“Hiding it. I don’t want you looking every five seconds to see if that ass has said anything. If I’d have known your passcode I would have blocked him.”

“He’s just gonna come to the house, then.”

“And he’s not seeing you. I’ll come out in a hazmat suit and give him all of his stuff.” 

“Why are you being so protective of me?” You asked as Tom turned on the TV, knowing that you needed it on to sleep properly. He got into the mess of blankets beside you, moving the pillow from his bed over to your side. 

“You have to stop assuming that there’s a reason I’m doing these things. What if I’m just doing something to make you feel better? What if I’m doing these things because I think you deserve better than him but I know that you don’t get that?” You shrugged and laid your head against the pillow, realizing that it was going to be covered in mascara. 

“Maybe I don’t. Deserve better. I mean, I had to have done something to make him not want me anymore, or want someone else over me.”

“You did nothing wrong!” He insisted, moving the joystick on the video game controller until he navigated to your favorite show. “Anyone that cheats on you is just... stupid, frankly. If I had you, I would do everything in my power not to mess it up.” He sounded so casual when he said it, but you could tell he was lying. He was a fantastic actor. But one of the worst liars you’d ever met. He always had a hollow voice when he lied, and this was no exception. But you were almost asleep, half from the exhaustion of crying and half from the alcohol. 

“If I were yours, Tommy?” You said sleepily. “I would be the luckiest girl in the world.” You turned around so that your back was facing his chest, just a few inches away from touching him, and fell asleep. 

The next morning you woke up turned the other way, using his arm as a pillow, and of course there was dried drool on the pillow too. Gross. You felt ridiculously safe beside him, thinking at first it was your boyfriend. And then you realized it was tom. You realized you didn’t have a boyfriend, not anymore, at least. You pulled the comforter off of yourself upon realizing what a mess you’d made of things. Of everything. You’d maybe just ruined your friendship with Tom, too, because you’d acted like a baby who couldn’t take care of yourself. 

You stood in the mirror of your shared bathroom, looking at your makeup on the vanity before what was left of it on your face. And you hated everything. Maybe your looks were why Jack cheated. Maybe you weren’t wearing the right makeup and he thought you looked ugly. Maybe... You shook it off and started the shower. 

When you were completely cleaned off, skin irritated from rubbing, hair dripping wet, you went back into your bedroom. You checked your plugged-in phone to see that Jack hadn’t even tried to call you. Not once. Jessica had tried to DM you, though, multiple times. You just deleted the request and went on with your life. A figure appeared in the door and you wiped away the tears forming in your eyes with the sleeve of your sweatshirt. 

“Hey, I saw you slept in the den, you didn’t get sick did you?” Harrison asked as he walked through the hallway. “Because I had to clean it up last time while you were still dying and I’m not doing it again.” 

“No, I wasn’t sick,” you said quietly. Enough to where he cocked his head and noticed that you were upset.

“What happened?”

“I screwed things up. Royally. With everyone. I walked in on Jack cheating, I cried all over Tom all night, made it sound like I’m in love with him and probably confused the shit out of him, and...”

“You’ve been in love with Tom the moment you saw him. Absolutely everyone knows that. I’m sorry that Jack cheated on you, but maybe it’s a good thing. Maybe you and Tom can...” 

“He doesn’t want me like that. Trust me.”

“No, trust me. He does.” You walked toward the door and shut it in Harrison’s face, not meaning to be rude. You just needed a little bit of time to figure things out. And you thought you had time for a few seconds, until something overturned in the bathroom and Tom gave you a bit of nervous laughter. 

“How much did you hear?” You asked as your face started to heat up. 

“Almost all of it,” Tom said. “But...” 

“But nothing, Tom. I just keep screwing everything up, with everybody,” you said more to yourself than him, walking over to your bed and putting your tired face in your hands that still smelled like your shower gel. 

“You’re not screwing anything up,” he shrugged, following you into your room. “To be honest, I do like you. A lot. But I kind of resigned myself to the fact that it was never gonna happen when you started dating Jack. And then he started treating you like absolute shit and it was almost like I thought I could save you from him, or something, or make it hurt less when you got hurt. But now that we’re here... It would be a div move to ask you out or something right now, wouldn’t it?” He laughed a little bit, scratching at his hair that was all messy from the way he’d slept. 

“I like you too.” You brushed your shoulder against his, feeling a kind of spark, almost, that you’d never felt with Jack. “And you didn’t have to be there for me last night, but you were. And that says a lot more than the fact that Jack hasn’t even bothered to call and Jessica’s only tried to DM me. Could we maybe just... take things a little slow? Like, really slow? Like, friends who really like each other, until maybe I don’t cry seeing a pair of his shoes in the corner of my room like I’m about to right now?” Tom got up, picking up Jack’s pair of Nikes that were in the corner of the room beside a pair of yours. He threw them out the door before returning to you and offering an arm. You felt all of the tension and stress leave your body when it was surrounded by his, and you shut your eyes and counted until it was too long. 

“How about I get some clothes on and we can go to that breakfast place you like. I’ll even buy you a mimosa. Or two.”

“I don’t think I should drink right now, but I love the offer. Give me five minutes to dry my hair.” You laughed a little bit and stood up, watching as he left the room. Your smile didn’t fade from your face until you thought about Jack again. In fact, every time you saw Tom it was like the sunshine took over and the hills too big to climb on your own were suddenly a little bit smaller. Yeah, you thought. You could be happy with Tom. Very happy. 

[youryanderedaddy]

Lady Luck (pt. 1)

I was so hyped to write this lol. Heavily inspired by Kaiji <3

Tw: mafia mention, unrealistic potrayal of mafia, mentions of threats, implied obssessive behavior (will get more hardcore in the second part tho), mentions of gambling, kidnapping /not reader/

 You knew that you were a scum, a lowlife, a miserable loser without much hope in life - that’s exactly why you had no problem joining the deadliest underground paradise and following under the steps of the Lucciano family. They controlled everything - the casinos, the drugs, the guns, the whores, you name it - they provided it. And you had nothing - neither a past, nor a future. But everything changed when the oldest son Thomas decided to help you get out of the mud and step onto your legs - he gave you a home, a friend to return to, a shoulder to cry on when reality felt too painful and harsh, just too much to bear on your own. “Why would you do that for a stranger?” You had asked him once while tipsy, sitting by the hearth, a slight blush adorning your soft cheeks. “That’s easy.” The man had responded right away without giving it much thought. “You remind me of myself.”

 You spent long nights thinking about his words but never came to a conclusion - he was born into a powerful, wealty family, so it made no sense for him to have experienced rock bottom the way you had. And his small black eyes displayed such a variety of terryfing emotions - bloodlust, greed, sin and so much sadness. Why would a monster ever feel scared, you wondered. 

 Working for the Luccianos wasn’t especially hard or even dangerous - you ran small errands for them, took care of the younger kids, helped with insignificant deals, acted as a croupier when their staff was sick or missing or had to be taken care of, but one thing you were thankful for was how they never tried to force you into doing something you would never be able to forgive yourself for. Thomas was kind to you -  always so considerate, willing to listen, to understand how you felt even when the worlds you two lived in differed so greatly. He was supposed to be villain of the story, big and scary, demanding, taking whatever he wants without asking and never feeling an ounce of regret about it. And for a while, you were suspicous of the man’s every move - you were desperately waiting for the mobster to fuck up and show his true colours so you could let yourself hate him, despise him. And yet the sweet, sweet moment of revelation never came. You knew, of course, of the many evil deeds the criminal bestowed upon thousands of innocent people each and every day, but you never witnessed it with your own eyes and when the man was treating you like a part of his family, holding you close and giving you chance after chance to prove yourself, it was slowly getting impossible to view him as the bad guy. Perhaps you should have waited just a little longer.

 It happened during a warm, spring day. You didn’t expect it, you couldn’t. You had just finished your shift at midnight in the small shop you worked in, which belonged to Thomas’ mother, and were heading to the Lucciano mansion. It had been a particularly long and exhausting day, so you wanted nothing more than to feel the soft, silky, white sheets down your half-naked body while the quiet classical music took you to dream land and back. But upon opening the heavy wooden door, you quickly noticed something was different - there was no music, the big black TV in the middle of the hall was set to camera mode instead of the normal one, and it was awfully quiet. “They must have had to leave the country for a while.” You rationalised. “It has happened before after all.” You kept reassuring yourself while taking a tiny step towards the centre of the room where light was the strongest - it could uncover every hidden little detail.

 And then the TV was turned on. You shifted your gaze up, paranoia eating at you from inside out. Soon there was clear image on the massive screen, but what you saw left you speechless. There were hours of footage from your personal life - working, hanging out with friends, eating, bathing. What made the shivers down your spine run cold was a scene where a guy, your boyfriend, was kissing you, touching you, undressing you with his praying eyes. It was nothing unusual for a young woman to have a love life, but this broke the only rule Thomas had told you upon entering the house - you were forbidden from having close relationships with men, especially dangerous ones, and for the longest time, you had no issue living by that as long as you came back to the luxury and warmth the mobster provided for you. Until you met him - a charming, clever member of a local gang. You knew it was wrong and could cost you more than you were willing to sacrifice and yet you still gave in. It was your first time experiencing the highs and lows of love, so who could blame you when it was such a magical feeling, a mixture of adrenaline and opium. Alex made you feel like a real human being instead of someone just existing, leeching off the stronger, wealthier species.

 There was a shadow moving out from the corner, playing into your delusions. But soon enough you realised it was all a reality as none other than Thomas walked slowly towards you, clapping his hands dramatically, a sly smirk on his beautiful, scarred face. Did he...

 "Congratulations." The man started off, dark eyes set on you, slowly coming closer and closer like a big black hole, ready to swallow you whole. "You went and got yourself a little boy - toy." The criminal chuckled viciously under his breath, making you cringe at the crude nickname he used. The situation felt surreal and yet the fear and panic were already suffocating you, making you dizzy wish regret. "I wish you would have told me though... I never thought someone I hold so important would lie to me." The mobster kept rambling, waving his arms in the air theatrically, while holding a lit cigarette, but never moving it to his lips - it was just a prop, a way to create a thick smoke mist in your eyes. It was finally the hour of judgement.

 "What do you want?" You asked, faking confidence, desperate to take control of what was happening. It was a bizarre thing to see your dearest friend act in such a eerie, frightening way, almost treating you like one of his victims - nothing more than an indebted bastard or an unfortunate bystander, unlucky enough to catch a deal unfolding right behind the scenes. It hurt but you had forced this upon yourself and you had to fix it.

 "Nothing much, really." Thomas replied, finally inhaling the deadly smoke into his open mouth. He played with his collar for a while, as if you weren't standing there, scared for your life. "I just want to teach you a lesson in obedience, doll." The mafioso continued, circling you slowly, his heavy gaze never leaving your body. You felt awfully exposed even when all your clothes were present, covering every inch of your skin. With a swift snap of his fingers, the man summoned most of the gorillas that worked under him. Two of them were dragging your kicking, screaming boyfriend towards the centre of the room, but a quick punch in the guts managed to quiet him down. He looked terrified, his face bloody and injured, covered in dust and misery. But he was still alive and only that mattered to you.

 "I wanted to make this entertaining for all of us." The oldest Lucciano spoke out, his husky voice echoing trough the golden ceiling. He moved over to your lover and harshly pressed the cigarette butt against the exposed skin of his unprotected arm. The man cried out in pain, silently pleading you to help with his big, terrified eyes. And here you were, as helpess as he was - if not even more. "So I decided to initiate a little gamble of sorts, ya know?" Thomas winked at you, smiling with malice. You couldn't help, but recall all the times you two had played poker together, betting less than pocket change. You never understood why the man always got so excited despite winning such small sums, especially when his casinos already did well. But now you could see it clearly - he got off crushing his opponent, taking the victory under their noses. Money meant nothing. As long as he was able to ruin your mood, your life, the man was pleased.

 Soft white light lit up the furthest corners of the hall and you saw dozen square boxes, arranged in a circle. It looked harmless enough on its own, still they were stamped with Thomas’ symbol - a dove. You used to wonder why someone in the most dangerous depts of mafia would choose such an innocent, sweet signature pf representation and now the answer was right in front of you - that way it was easier to trick the enemy into thinking they were safe. And how wrong were they. 

 “As you can see, there are nine wooden boxes in total. They look exactly the same and on top of each one there is a hole.” Thomas stopped to point at them, the raw anticipation flooding his otherwise dull pupils. “Six of the boxes are empty. In the other three though, there are placed some of the most poisonous snakes in the world. One bite and you are dead.” The madman gave a loud, breathy laugh while your boyfriend squirmed uncomfortably in place, restrained by the strong arms, holding him down. “Both of you will take four turns putting your hand in the boxes. After every round the box would be closed off and you would be able to choose only from the remaining ones. ” The mobster grinned widely, looking at your horrified expression. You couldn’t believe that the man was willing to put your lives on the line simply because you had neglected one of his orders. “Now you may be wondering where the suspence is - after all you would probaby manage to hear the hissing from afar and avoid the place it comes from. Rest assured, my foolish little friends. Right now the snakes are heavily intoxicated and absolutely silent - which doesn’t mean, of course, that they won’t attack any soft flesh they see. If you die, that’s on you, but if you survive, you will be rewarded.” Thomas clapped his hands together and his man let go of your lover, resulting in his falling to the ground with a heavy bang. Thomas pursed his lips together.

 “Shall we get started?”

[bluefirewrites]

T.Rex, Velveeta, and Other Fun Names

A one shot I made, thanks to @lydias--stiles and @blush-and-books. 

We were talking about what Luke’s middle name could be and it sparked an idea for this quick little one shot (which is neither quick or little actually.)

Could also be read on AO3. 

ENJOY!

____________

Lucas T. Patterson

The madness of this week all started when Julie thumbed through Luke’s journal and found her songwriting partner’s messy scrawl inscribed in the behind the front cover.

Yeah, it was his name, Julie would have griped about how illegible it was and moved on to whatever song she and Luke had been workshopping the day before and thought nothing of it-

If it weren’t for the fact that there was a flurry of deep inset scratches of pen scribbling out the space where his middle name was supposed to be, leaving only the ‘T’ unscathed…

“So I was thinking, maybe we change the key. I thought I was feeling A Major,” Luke rattled off, playing the aforementioned series of chords on his electric, “But now, I think we could really intensify it by flipping to a minor key-”

“What’s the 'T' stand for?”

The ghost looked up, confused, “Huh?”

Julie held up the inner cover of the journal, pointing to his name, “Lucas T. Patterson. The ‘T’- what does it stand for?”

It was a simple question, but all color drained from his face.

“O-Oh. Oh that?” Luke stammered through, struggling to rid himself of his guitar, the skull and rose strap kept swatting his face in his hurry.

She nodded.

He was across the room in seconds, back facing her, pretending to fiddle with the amp settings, even going as far as inspecting Alex’s drums. Thank goodness the drummer wasn’t there right now or else he would be getting a thorough lecture. ("Tell him to stop touching my drums!" extended to his bandmates as well).

“It, uh, stands for my middle name,” he said, still not looking at her.

“I get that. So what is it?”

“It’s nothing,”

Julie rose from the piano bench, traversing the studio until she was right behind him. She forced him to pivot and face her, “No, it’s clearly something.”

Luke gave a dismissive wave and a weak nonchalant laugh, “It’s not a big deal,”

“It clearly is if you won’t tell me,”

Then his head cocked to the side. He cupped his ear, “Uh, what’s that? I think I heard Carlos!”

“What?” She couldn’t hear anything.

“Oh, you need help, Carlos? On my way!”

“He can’t even-”

In a flash of light and warp of reality, Julie was alone in the studio.

“- hear you...”

Oh boy.

Now what was that about?

________________

Ever since then, Julie’s curiosity only grew. Why was Luke so evasive when it came to his middle name? What could possibly be the reason?

With all the secrecy and going great lengths to omit it from his journal, she was betting on it being insanely embarrassing.

Which made Julie want to find out even more.

Luke didn’t get embarrassed so easily, not much to weaponize against him whenever they all made playful jabs at each other from time to time, like the friends they were. Really it was stuff like ‘Beware, Luke this shirt has sleeves’ which basically translated to ‘Haha, you’re attractive’.

Which did not pack quite the punch.

She was determined to decode Luke’s middle name, if not to quench her curiosity then to humble the guy.

He couldn’t be attractive and talented. Something’s gotta give.

(And no, she didn’t often think about how attractive and talented he was… Nope. Not at all).

“Tristan?” she threw out while they were backstage at their next gig.

Luke tuned his guitar, “Nope”

“Thomas?”

“Nuh-uh”

“Terrence?”

He finally looked up, smirking, “You will never find out.”

The tech burst in, phasing through the ghostly forms of the boys, to lead her out onto the stage.

She inwardly cursed. Saved by the bell.

“Break a leg, boss,” Luke wiggled his fingers at her before she was practically pushed past the curtain.

Even when she sat down to play the piano, Julie could not get the image of Luke’s smug face out of her mind. Oh, he probably thought her attempts were just so cute.

Yeah, cute for now.

But she wasn’t done yet.

____________________

“Alright, guys. Help me solve the mystery. What’s Luke’s middle name?”

It was one of those rare occasions where Luke was out of the house, leaving her, Alex, and Reggie alone.

The boys had been present for her previous tries to weasel Luke’s middle name out of him, and they were amused for the most part- Well, never as amused as Luke ‘Thinks He’s All That’ Patterson (not a serious contender in her guessing, by the way).

With their reactions, and however many years of brotherhood shared among the three of them, Alex and Reggie just had to know.

They were all chilling in the kitchen, Reggie perched on top of the counter and Alex lounging at the table. Julie poured herself a juice, waiting on the answer.

The bassist straightened up, “Oh. It’s-” Then he stopped, face scrunched up in a frown of concentration.

Julie directed her gaze at Alex, who was ready to jump in.

“No, wait it’s…” He faltered.

The two boys’s heads snapped to stare at each other as they pieced it together.

“Dude, I don’t think-”

“No. He had to have. I’m just blanking,”

“Guys?”

“Oh my god,” Alex uttered, pushing his golden locks back into his cap, “It took us this long to notice?!”

They were now on their feet, sandwiching Julie.

“We... don’t...know,” Reggie winced, admitting it out loud.

“How could you not know?”

“I don’t think he ever told us!” was the bassist’s defense, “He’s Fort Luke when he wants to be!”

He made the gesture of locking his lips and throwing away the key to which Alex nodded.

“Now I wanna know!”

“Me too!”

Now this was a development. If Luke’s boys had no clue, then it must be really juicy.

Taking a sip from her cup, Julie was all ready to recruit two new members for the noble cause…

_________________

Julie, Alex, and Reggie huddled in a circle at the studio, all bearing notebooks and furiously whispering at each other and scribbling away when Luke decided to make an appearance.

They dispersed, making their collusion all the more suspicious.

“Luke,” They all greeted, with the same level of enthusiasm… at the same time.  

The guitarist eyed them skeptically. Then he took in the notebooks, “You’re having a band meeting. Without me?” he asked, hurt flashed in his hazel eyes.

“No, silly. We’re having a band meeting about you,”

“Reggie!” Alex and Julie hissed.

That only added to Luke’s hurt and confusion.  

Sending him a reassuring smile, she guided him to an empty chair, placed right in the middle, just beyond the coffee table, “Sit down. Please.”

“Okay?” Slow steps and weird stares later, his butt plopped onto the seat, “Can someone tell me what’s all this abo-?”

“Lucas Theodore Patterson?” Alex leapt in front of Luke, reading his guess off his notebook.

Luke’s shoulders slumped, seeing where this was all going.

“Guys, really? You too-?”

“Is it or is it not Theodore?” Julie backed Alex up.

“God no,”

Reggie was up next, “Lucas Timothy Patterson?”

The nose scrunch answered for them.

“Lucas Tyrone Patterson?” as was Julie’s turn.

“No flow,”

And so they were stuck in a circle for the next 20 minutes, everyone taking turns guessing Luke’s middle name, their lists growing more desperate and random as they continued, even going as far as borderline yelling the names at him- that was how frustrated they were.

“Lucas Troy Patterson,”

“No”

“Lucas Trixie Patterson?!”

“That’s not even- that’s not even a guys name-”

“It’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. I’m telling you. It has to be!” Reggie slammed his notebook down, poking Luke hard in the chest with his index finger,  “Admit it! LUCAS. T. REX PATTERSON!”

“Boy, I wish,”

Their guessing game, once the last of the names have been recited, left all of them breathless (even though two of them were ghosts!).

On any other occasion, Luke would have been sympathetic, especially seeing how broken up and defeated they all looked collapsed onto the couch, glaring at him like he was the enemy.

But their fruitless attempts only made him all the more victorious.

“Nice try guys,” he patted each of them on the shoulder before heading out.

Best to give them a break.

Ya know, to deal with the defeat.

____________________

She was nothing if not persistent.

But Julie knew she might have been taking things too far when she had made the trip to Emily’s.

Look, she thought she could just pay the woman a visit, to check up on her, catch up-

Maybe ask leading questions in order to trick her into telling her her son’s middle name?

Yeah, the plan was flawed from the start because how could she so subtly direct the conversation to her dead son’s middle name.

Maybe get her to tell a story about Luke getting in big enough trouble that would have warranted the whole ‘yelling-out-your-full-name’ treatment? Which was a total stretch.

But she didn’t expect it to be the complete and utter disaster that it was.

If Alex and Reggie hadn’t gotten impatient and started snooping around Luke’s old room and digging through his things to find some sort of sign for his name, and if Luke hadn’t decided to intervene, creating all kinds of ruckus in other rooms for his mom to stop and check-

Then maybe they wouldn’t all be sitting on the Molina living room couch hours, getting read the riot act by Luke Patterson of all people.

“I had to tip over my aunt’s vase!!”

“Well, if it's any consolation, your mom always hated that vase?” Reggie chuckled before being promptly silenced by one look from Luke.

Alex spluttered, “But, like, you didn’t have to break it??”

“I did what I had to do,”

“Your mom was so freaked out!”

“Well, that’s on you guys,”

Julie just about had enough with all these games, she pushed herself up from the couch, squaring up against Luke’s unwavering gaze, “You’re being ridiculous!”

“Me?” he yelled, taken aback, “ You went to my house!”

“We just wanted to know!”

“Oh my god!” His hands gripped at his hair, “Why do you wanna know my middle name so badly?”

“I like knowing stuff about you, okay!”

Luke stepped back. Eyes wide.

That-

That wasn’t meant to come out.

Especially in the booming, shrill tone she used.

“Oh…”

Luke was playing with the sleeves of his oversized flannel, the air between them thick and brimming with awkwardness. It didn’t help that Alex and Reggie took this as the opportunity to flee.

Now it was just the two of them in the living room.

Breathing deeply to collect herself because it finally hit her- they were in a screaming match all because of a middle name . Like, Luke wasn’t the only one being ridiculous. It was her too. This whole quest to figure out what the T in his name stood for was so pointless.

They were fighting and Julie didn’t like it.

“And,” she cleared her throat, dislodging the unpleasantness, “there’s something clearly bothering you about it. Just… maybe thought I could help?”

Julie had been kidding herself. Messing with Luke might have been her initial goal, but what bugged her most about not knowing his middle name was the fact that even after all the time they spent together, there were things that Luke still wouldn’t tell her.

He was entitled to keep his secrets, yes, and she still felt bad for spying on him on his birthday. But, they were bandmates, writing partners, friends . She had confided in him a lot and he with her, and they just…

They always had this closeness. A closeness that she appreciated and didn’t take for granted.

And she had acted so recklessly because of it.

Luke nodded, taking it in. He didn’t look mad, but he understood. Julie could tell he was able to get more from her than the words she spouted at him.

“It’s, just,” his voice lowered into a self-conscious whisper, “It’s just something I don’t like a lot of people knowing...”

“I’m sorry. I pushed,”

“It’s okay,” the left corner of his mouth twitched, “You wouldn’t be Julie, if you didn’t” he playfully punched her shoulder.

She gaped at him in mock offense, “Hey!”

“Just saying. Tt’s not the first time you showed up on my doorstep, digging up my past,” she instinctively grimaced but Luke reached for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, “But I know it’s coming from a good place. Thanks.”

He really shouldn’t be so forgiving, Julie thought. But she was just happy that they could just leave this mess behind them.  

“I’ll get the guys to drop it,” she offered.

That made Luke laugh, “Good luck with that. Reggie’s wearing Alex down. Now he’s seriously considering my middle name to be ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’,”

“If it was that embarrassing, I’d see why you’d keep it a secret,”

It seemed like Luke wanted to say something but shook his head and thought better of it. Instead he tugged her by the hand to the door, “Come on. You never did give me your opinion on the key change…”

_______________

It was months later when it finally came out. 

They were in her room. She was doing homework and he was getting a jump start on their newest song, working side by side on the floor.

Her laptop was open, some randomly chosen Spotify playlist streaming in the background. All was well when the familiar chords of ‘Get Lost’ started playing, causing Luke to visibly tense up.

“Trevor,”

“Right. Sorry, I’ll turn it off-”

“No. That’s…” He sighed and moved into a kneeling position.

Pushing his already opened journal to Julie, Luke flipped it to the cover, where his name was written.

He pointed to the scribbles over his middle name.

Where only the T was exposed…

Trevor.

“Lucas...Trevor...Patterson?”  

“My full name. Ba-da?” his jazz hands fell flat, betrayed by the quiver in his voice.

“Oh,”

“I, uh, never liked how it sounded. And you know how I feel… about things that just don’t flow right”

Julie did. For sure. Scrapped lyrics and melodies were often what happened. Never to be brought up again.

He continued, “My mom would insist on writing out my full name on my notebooks for school- Luke Patterson is already so generic,” and the first genuine chuckle of the night huffed out, “Never used them for class of course. Just to write songs.”

“Tre-Bobby,” she corrected herself “He would have needed proof that he wrote everything...”

“My old notebook. That had ‘Get Lost’ and ‘Crooked Teeth’. Made the mistake of writing it in pencil. It’d be so easy to just-”

Slamming the laptop closed, silencing the song, Julie enveloped the ghost in a hug. He melted against her, hands gripping onto her shoulders from behind, for dear life, the weight of the reveal finally taking its toll.

“I didn’t like my middle name before. Now, I just- I just can’t stand it,” he whispered into her shirt.

“I’m so sorry, Luke”

“Were the songs not enough? He had to steal my name too?”

The ache carried by his voice made Julie squeeze tighter.

She had no words.

What Bobby did, what he took from Luke, was more than she could ever fathom. She didn’t know what to do, what to say to him to soothe the pain.

She only held him.

For as long as he needed.

___________

"How come Alex and Reggie never found out?" she would ask him later.

"Didn't make it habit to show off my journal"

She frowned, "But you let me read it."

Luke, too, had no words in response.

____________

“Hey, wanna go on a walk with me?” Julie asked him out of the blue one evening.

Luke could definitely use a break, especially from whatever row Alex and Reggie had just gotten into. He nodded and took her offered hand.

They took a stroll down her street, hands still joined but hidden in Julie’s hoodie pocket (as to not make it seem like she was grasping at air). The sun was beginning to set over the hills as they could see from their vantage point in the park, their set destination.

Julie seemed to have some purpose for this random walk because she was leading him around until they reached a tree in a more secluded part of the grounds.

Whipping out a pocket knife, Julie replaced her hand in her grasp with the odd tool.

“What’s this?”

“For a while, I lost all sense of what music meant to me. I thought music was my mom. That if she’s gone then there’s no point in going on,”

“Aw, Jules”

Her sunny disposition shone through in a smile, “It’s okay. I had to redefine music for myself. Give it new meaning. Music is not just my mom. It’s my family and Flynn. It’s you and the guys” she shrugged, “It’s me.”

“I would have told you that,” A tender touch to her forearm coaxed an even bigger smile from the girl, “You definitely are music.”

Momentarily distracted by the compliment, it took a moment for Julie to get back on track.

“What I’m trying to say is. I think it’s time for you to redefine yourself. There’s stuff in your old life that you miss, but there’s also stuff you want to leave in the past…”

It dawned on Luke what Julie was referring to.

“That ‘T’ is a placeholder. You could go by a different middle name. You could do whatever you want. You’re a ghost now. You can… move on. So,” she revealed the blade and placed it in his palm once more. She nodded at the tree.

“Go ahead. Go give your name a new meaning, Make your mark,”

Grinning, Luke picked up on her plan and began carving into the trunk, his initials, all three letters representing his name, with each mark easier to craft than the last, imbuing more love and meaning into them, just like what Julie said.

Once done, he admired his handiwork, floored by how cathartic it was, to have his name on something that was gonna last.

L.T.P

He was taking back his goddamn name.

He beheld it with pride.  

“I’ll ask again,” Julie leaned against the tree, tracing the letters with her fingers, “What’s the 'T' stand for?”

With no hesitation he said-

“Thundercat,”

“W-What?” Julie choked.

He lost it at her reaction, “You said whatever I want. I loved that show as a kid!” he giggled.  

“Lucas… Thundercat… Patterson,” Julie so badly wanted to make a comment, Luke could tell. But she changed her mind, “You know what? If it makes you so happy then go for it. Who am I to stop you?”

“Nah, I’ll think of something else later on. But it’s my afterlife. I could go through as many middle names as I want, right?”

“Exactly,”

Luke returned her knife and thought she was going to slip it back into her pocket. Instead, she strode up to the tree and proceeded to carve her own initials right below his.

“There. So your name doesn’t have to be lonely up there,” she folded up the blade and put it away.  

“You know that, uh, couples usually do that kind of thing,” Luke couldn’t help but notice that, with the way their initials were oriented on the tree.

A rosy hue graced the girl’s cheeks, “Oh...yeah.”

A beat of silence followed, just the two of them staring at the tree.

“I like how our names look next to each other though,”

Luke nodded, a warm feeling settling in the pit of his stomach and rising, “Me too.”

Squinting, he read Julie’s initials, “ J.V.M. What does the ‘V’ stand for?”

A devious glint sparkled in her eyes,  “Maybe you’ll just have to guess.”

“Aw come on!”  

She raised an eyebrow, “Oh as if you made it easy for me?”

Ok. She had him there, “Fair enough.”

The whole walk home, Luke ran through all the ‘V’ names he could think of.

“Julianna Valeria?”

“Nope,”

“Julianna Vanessa?”

“C’mon, songwriter. Where’s the flow?” she teased.

Luke snapped his fingers, believing he cracked the code, “Victoria. After your aunt,”

“No. But imagine how mad she was when she found out,”

“Venus, Vanilla, Vaseline-”

“Vaseline?”

They were at her doorstep, and he bounded in front of her, blocking her path, “I won’t give up.”

“I don’t expect you to,”

“Velveeta. Like the cheese”

“It’s Valentina,” she finally said, pushing him aside, fishing through her pockets for the keys to open the front door.

“You got Valentina while I got stuck with Trevor?” She lucked out in the middle name department, that was for sure. 

Of course someone like Julie got shacked up with a beautiful name like Valentina…

“I could change mine too. In solidarity,” she said offhandedly.

“If I go with Reggie’s suggestion: Tyrannosaurus Rex then would you be Velociraptor?”

“T.Rex and Velociraptor?” she laughed in disbelief, finally walking through the threshold of her house. Thank goodness everyone else was already upstairs.

“From this day forth, I will be known Lucas Tyrannosaurus Rex Patterson!” he confidently declared

“And I’ll be Julianna Velociraptor Molina!” she repeated, taking much pleasure in the absurdity of it.

“Were you a dinosaur kid?”

“You saw my slippers and my PJs...”

“True,”

_______

Luke didn’t expect for them to take the whole new middle name thing so seriously.

But if they so happened to greet each other next time with prehistoric roars and with him tackling her onto the studio couch and pretending to bite her like the carnivore he was, then that was for them to know…

And for Alex and Reggie to remain confused about.

__________

Bonus:

And after some years down the line and one magical reincarnation later, Luke decided to change his name again.

“Patterson’s okay,” he said to Julie, “But I think I need something new.”

“Oh yeah? What are you thinking?”

Luke went down on one knee, in front of the tree they marked up when they were teenagers, ring in hand.

“Molina sounds pretty good to me…”