#have i ever mentioned i had a crush on a boy named isaac in my junior year of hs?

[so-long-soldier-writes]

Study Buddies

isaac lahey x reader

summary: isaac asks you for help in chemistry. you agree on one condition.

tags: high school, studying / tutoring, mutual crushes, awkward flirting, caught in a lie, shyness, embarrassment, play fighting / tickling, bad puns, confessions, first kiss, teasing, fluff, pre-wolf isaac; his dad still sucks; autistic-coded reader

word count: 4.5k

a/n: this is my first time writing for teen wolf. I feel like I'm encroaching on claimed territory. 😅 also i've had this tab up for almost a week but have been afraid to post it, so here goes

Mr. Harris slides your progress report down onto your desk before you have a chance to react, and it catches wind and falls to the ground a moment later. You sigh and roll your eyes, but he’s already halfway across the room, impatiently handing out the rest of his stack. Your own little slip of paper is nowhere by your feet, and you resist the urge to make a remark about it. 

“Hey.” A voice interrupts your intruding thoughts at the same time a tap lands on your shoulder. Gentle, as if the tapper hates to disturb you, yet needs your attention. 

You turn, and temporarily forget about your lost report as your eyes meet Isaac’s, the boy who sits behind you, and has the cutest smile imaginable. You drop your gaze instantly, only for it to fall on his dimpled smile, and then, finally, on the paper held between two fingers. 

“I think this is yours,” he says, holding it out to you. 

Your name is clearly printed on the front, followed by your most recent grades in the class. You blush, immediately remembering it had dropped in the first place. 

“Oh. Thank you.”

“No problem. He seems like he’s in a mood today.” 

You nod, then take your paper from his hand. By this time, Harris has made his way back to the front, and is clearing his throat in a demand for the class’ silence. Quiet mutterings amongst friends cease at once, and you turn back to face the ill-tempered chemistry teacher. 

“Take a good look at your progress reports. The midterm is coming up, and some of you have more studying to do than others. Today, we will be learning new material, but next class period, we will have a review day. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask. You can ask at the appropriate time in class, or come see me after school, or shoot me an email. Regardless of your grade, everyone should be studying, however, some of you have to move up a whole letter or two. That is on you to be aware of, and for you to put in the effort to do. Now, pull out your notes so that we can cover this section. It isn’t the hardest thing we’ll cover, but I expect it will be a struggle for some.”

And after that condescending introduction, he begins to teach. 

When the bell finally rings, your head is swarming with so much chemistry, your eyes are beginning to glaze over and put you to sleep. You’re relatively good at the subject, but that topic was more challenging than he warned it would be, making even you confused at times. You shake your head when you reach your lockers, trying to relieve yourself of the numbers swirling about in your mind. It takes a moment. A very stressful moment. 

A tap on your shoulder, more urgent than the last, pulls you out of your mental headspace. The chemistry bounces out of your mind entirely, bringing you back to reality, but making you jump in place at the sudden contact.

“Sorry,” a familiar voice apologies, “didn’t mean to scare you.”

Turning, you come face-to-face with Isaac again. His normally bright blue eyes are slightly cloudy, which worries you more than you’d like to admit. “No worries. Everything okay?”

“Yeah. I have a question, actually, to ask you.”

“What’s that?”

“Okay, I wasn’t looking at your report, I didn’t mean to see your grades. I accidentally saw them when I picked up your paper, but I promise I wasn’t looking on purpose.” He stalls, continuously apologizing for something not at any fault of his own. 

“It’s okay,” you interrupt as politely as you can. 

He pauses, “um. I was wondering if you could help me? Like, in chemistry. Help me study, kinda like a tutor, I guess?”

You pale immediately. Just because you’re doing okay in the class doesn’t mean you have a clue how to help him understand. “Um-”

“Just… I just need a little help, if you can. I understand if you don’t want to, or can’t, or… I don’t know… are busy.” He runs his tongue along his lips nervously. You snap your eyes to the floor, avoiding eye contact. 

“I don’t know… I’m not a good teacher.”

“But you’re really good in the class. Probably a better teacher than Harris has been lately.”

You chuckle, but you’re still not sure. Being that close to the boy you’ve liked for ages? On top of not being able to teach well? He’ll reduce you to a stupid, stuttering mess, just look at yourself now, unable to look him in the eye. No, don’t look at him, that was rhetorical. 

“I just,” he continues, “when he was talking about people who needed to go up a whole letter, he was talking about me. I know you’re good, you sit in front of me. If you can even just explain it to me as you study, it would help a lot.”

Half of your mind races to find an excuse, looking for an out, while the other begs you to agree. Isaac shoves a hand in his pocket and waits for a response. You debate with yourself for a moment, but then the urging part of your mind wins the argument with a question of its own. 

“What about this,” you start, “I’ll help you in chemistry, if you help me in French?”

“What?” He asks, taken off guard. “I’m not good at French.”

“You’re better than me. You have the answers to most of Ms. Morrell’s questions, and I can hear you when she asks us to recite words out loud.” His eyes narrow at that, to which you reply, “you sit behind me in French, too.”

“Right.” He smiles, but doesn’t meet your gaze. Instead, he rests his head against the locker beside yours. 

“So?”

“How do you know I’m not just guessing?”

“What’s your grade?”

“A,” he sheepishly answers.

“See? You can tutor me.”

“What’s your grade?”

You purse your lips and avoid his eyes again. “Too embarrassed to say.”

“Really?”

“Languages aren’t my strong suit. We all have our strengths.”

“Alright, deal. Help me in chem, and I’ll help you with French.”

“Sounds good. Library, or at one of our houses?”

“I can probably go to the library sometimes. Maybe during lunch or free period. But after school, I have lacrosse, and you probably don’t want to wait around school for that to be over.”

“Okay, so then your house or mine?”

“Where do you live?”

“Like ten minutes from here. You?”

“A bit closer than that. Parents?”

“Don’t really care what I do.”

“My dad is a little controlling,” he admits. 

“Would he care if I were to come over?”

“Not if you’re helping me study.”

“Okay. You want to meet a couple times a week at your house, and sometimes during lunch?”

“Sure. Practice ends around five. Is seven too late?”

“Not for me.”

“Cool. So, um, I’ll text you, and we can plan dates.” He shakes his head. “I mean, like, what days work best.”

You blush at his embarrassment. “Have to give you my number first, doofus.” 

“Oh.”

You scribble it onto a sticky note and hand it to him. “Let me know.”

“I will. And thank you.”

“Thank you, too.” You hurry your way to your next class, leaving him red in the face and hands at having a girl’s number. Granted, it’s just for studying, but it’s the fact he was able to talk to you at all that has him shaken. Isaac forces himself to breathe, before entering it in his phone and tucking the sticky safely in his backpack. As the bell rings, he hurries to his next class. 

~~~~

The next evening is the first time you meet up to study. You drive to the address he’s given and knock on the door as gently as possible. Isaac had mentioned his dad is controlling, so the first thing you want to do is to avoid pissing him off in any way you could. Controlling could mean a lot of things, and the boy wasn’t specific at all. For both of your sakes, you tread lightly. 

Isaac opens the door a moment later, dressed in a simple t-shirt and sweats. You try really hard not to blush as he invites you inside, but then his dad’s strict voice snaps you back into reality. You can see Isaac take a visible deep breath before rounding the corner in the kitchen, you in tow. You put on your best look of professionalism while trying to anticipate how the next couple of minutes might go. 

“And? Who was it?”

“Y/N, the girl I told you I was studying with… with whom I am going to study,” he corrects at the last minute. 

His father’s posture tenses a bit less when his son corrects his own grammar without prompt, but it doesn’t stop his cold eyes from floating over to you. “And you’re studying what?”

“Chemistry, sir. I’m helping Isaac, and he’s helping me with French.”

“And you know French well enough to help her?”

“I believe I do,” he says, trying to sound confident. 

“I think he does, too. In class, he always has the answers, and Mrs. Morrell’s often impressed, and she’s hard to impress more than once.”

“Hm.” His dad takes a sip from a glass, then carefully sets it down on the table. His eyes are locked on Isaac the whole time. The boy stares at the ground, any confidence shaken by the interaction. You study the scene, confused. “Well… Go study. Bring up those grades.”

“Yes, sir,” you reply at the same time. 

Isaac nods for you to follow him to his room, which you oblige. His dad remains seated as you make your way up the stairs. You bite back a comment about the man, even in the safety of Isaac’s bedroom, and he doesn’t say anything, either. The same remark is in both your heads, yet while you want to ask it in a question, he wants to use it as a reassurance. Yes, he’s a bit more controlling than Isaac originally said. No, he won’t do anything stupid while you're there. He tries to convey this in an expression, which you half-understand, but eventually drop it. If anything happens, you’ll leave. Simple as that. 

As it turns out, the first night of you studying together ends up nothing like the initial interaction you had in his house. Isaac is gentle, patient, and willing to learn and teach the best that he can. He’s admittedly worse in chemistry than you are in French, but you’re able to convince him that you only need to work on a few things; an hour of time doesn’t have to be devoted to your studies, maybe only twenty minutes. On the contrary, the other sixty are put towards chemistry. And, of course, the first five are for settling in, and the last five are for uncontrollable laughter at a mispronunciation. 

Thirty minutes to nine, you realize how late it’s gotten and start to pack your things. Isaac looks exhausted, and frankly, as much as you’re enjoying his company, you’re getting tired from talking. 

“Voulez-vous qu’on se rencontre vendredi?” He asks, rather quickly. 

You stare for a moment, then, “what?”

“Vendredi.”

“Thursday?”

“Non.”

“Friday?”

“Oui, rencontrer?”

“Meet then?”

“Yeah, would you like to?”

“Sure.” You nod. “Say it again?”

“Voulez-vous qu’on se rencontre vendredi?” He says it slower this time. It has the same effect on you, but you can comprehend each word better. 

“Cool,” you say, not at all thinking about his accent that paints the words so beautifully. “I’ll bring my H2O, since I forgot it this time.”

The boy snorts with more laughter. “Bad joke.”

“Absolutely horrible,” you agree. “See you in school tomorrow.”

“Drive safe.”

“Be safe,” you reply before you can stop yourself, referring to his dad downstairs. 

Isaac only nods. He walks you to his front door, then hurries back up to his room. 

~~~~

Each day you study together follows a similar routine to the first: five minutes to settle in, sixty of chemistry, twenty of French, then five of joking around with each other. Sometimes Isaac pushes for thirty of French instead, worried that you’re sacrificing your own studies for his, and never understands when you push back that you’re good with only twenty. 

His chemistry improves immensely with your help. In three weeks, he manages to pull it up to a ‘C’. Not only is his father a bit more lenient to him after the next progress report, but he’s also more pleasant to you the next time you come around to study. He even cracks a smile. 

Today, you go over just the same as you have been. Seven on the dot, you’re greeted by his dimpled smile and half-friendly father. The man has now graduated to welcoming you, and has once clapped you on the shoulder as you’ve passed. You’re polite to him, though you can tell Isaac’s uncomfortable with his unusual behavior, so you always try to retreat upstairs as soon as possible. This time, he’s busy with something in the kitchen and doesn’t talk for long. He makes one comment about grades; you promise him you’re both doing well, then he lets you go. 

Finally away, it doesn’t take long for you to settle down anymore. You make yourself comfortable on Isaac’s bed, pulling out your notes and pens, and smiling when he joins you. You’ve come to be good friends in the last couple weeks, and although there’s something definitely in the air, too, you’re good with being friends if that’s all you can convince yourselves you are. 

You start, per usual, with chemistry, reading over notes and figuring out problems. He moves closer and closer to you each day you teach, simultaneously making you nervous and excited. Either way, your water bottle remains beside you to calm your ever-growing heart rate. When it comes time to switch subjects, you excuse yourself a minute to recover and prepare for the next half hour. In the beginning, it was easier to hide your blush, promising you’re still getting the hang of the co-teaching thing. Now, your excuse dwindles. The shy smile you wear as he recites words of the love language has never faded. You have to compose yourself entirely, elsewhere, to be able to control your reaction and face him. 

“Can I use your bathroom real quick?”

“Yeah, just over there.”

“Thanks.”

As soon as the door shuts, Isaac jumps off the bed to check his hair in the mirror. In the process, your French binder falls to the ground and loses its page. The boy sighs, mutters an ‘oh shit,’ then pulls it back up to find the page again. He opens the flap and immediately finds a stash of old progress reports. You seem to keep all of your old ones in the front flap of your binder; he’s noticed you have all your chemistry reports, too. Curious, Isaac steals a peek. Despite confessing about his ‘D’ in chemistry, you’ve always cheekily refused to share your French grade. He doubts it’s that bad, but he’s never gotten you to admit it. 

He glances at the bathroom door, then checks the date on the report before scanning the grades. Guilt eats at him the longer he looks, but nosiness, then confusion keeps his eyes glued. Is he really reading that right? There’s no way you have a-

“Sorry about that,” you say, closing the door. 

Startled, he drops your binder and looks up at you. “It’s no worry.”

“What’s wrong?” You notice his change in behavior, like a young boy being caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing. 

“Nothing. Your binder fell off the bed, I was picking it up.”

“Oh. Thanks.” He smiles when you join him back on the bed. You’re not sure if you still have a right to be suspicious, or if he’s just embarrassed because he’s so shy. “So, um-”

Isaac, on the other hand, is brimming with questions. As anxious as he is that you caught him peeking, he can’t help but wonder about what he saw. You start to speak, maybe to change the subject, but he cuts you off, guilt and curiosity both winning. “You have an ‘A’ in French?”

“What?”

“You’ve had an ‘A’ since the start of the year. Why do you need me to tutor you if you already know it?”

You shut your open mouth immediately, face paling at the realization you’ve been caught. “I-... I don’t know. Your grades are better than mine.”

“By one point.”

“Two points. You have a 94. I have a 92.”

“Doesn’t explain the need for a tutor,” he argues.

You study him, choosing to base your reaction off his own. He’s smiling; seemingly happy, curious, and not at all upset. His tone implies no accusation, just confusion, and his body posture is straight, shoulders relaxed. A twinkle shines in his baby blue eyes; his level of eye contact is neither constant nor avoidant. He’s safe. 

“I, um,” you decide to tell him the truth. Or, rather, stutter out the truth. “I don’t need a French tutor.”

“So I’ve gathered.” Decisive tone, yet still friendly. Still safe. 

“I figured, since I would help you with chemistry, even though I’m not that good of a teacher, if you had to teach me something too, it would put less pressure on me to be a good teacher.”

His eyes narrow. “Okay… but why French?” He’s still a little confused on that reasoning, but doesn’t question it. He knows you’re shy. If that’s what you had to do to make it work that you could help him, he doesn’t mind. 

“I, er, well, the French provided a win-win scenario.”

“Which is?”

You shrug, body warming quickly as you near your deeply guarded secret. “I- I don’t know how to explain it.”

“Mhm, really?”

“You’re best in French,” you offer instead, on a whim.

“True,” he agrees, “though I feel that’s not the real reason, judging by your lack of eye contact.”

“I’m always bad at eye contact.”

“You’ve been getting better with me these last few weeks.”

“Yes, but…”

“I’m not going to judge, Y/N. Whatever you say, it’s safe with me. You trust me, right?”

“Of course.”

“Then how is me teaching you French a, as you call it, win-win scenario?”

Finally, you fess, “because I get to hear you speak it every time you teach me.”

Isaac’s quiet for a moment. Then, you realize it seems to have gone over his head as he says, “you hear me speak all the time in class.”

“Yeah, but… with twenty other voices mixed in, too. I like hearing just your voice. The way you know just how to sound it out perfectly, and the way your accent flourishes each sentence. Most people in class sound like they’re gurgling saltwater, but you make it sound hot, like the way French is supposed to sound.” Your mouth utters words before your brain can catch up and prevent you from embarrassment. As soon as you realize what you’ve said, a dizziness swarms your head and it feels like the temperature’s gone up ten degrees. 

Isaac is speechless in front of you. He’s first stuck on the fact that you like his voice, then on his pronunciation being described as perfect, but then he short-circuits as the word ‘hot’ falls from your lips. He doesn’t even realize when you plant your face into your binder, shocked by your own confession. 

“I’m sorry,” you apologize. It’s muffled, but he hears it enough to pull him from his trance. 

“You like my voice?” He asks, cursing himself for the stupidity of the question. It’s all he can think of to say, though, still trying to cool his own rising body temperature. 

“I shouldn’t have said all that, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I wasn’t thinking.”

“I’m not uncomfortable,” he blurts out quickly. “I’m actually quite charmed by that.”

You resist the urge to look up at him, desperate to see if he’s smiling or not. Isaac seems to have a similar thought, and tries to hook a finger under your chin to lift your head. He succeeds, but then you instantly embarrass again, and dive for the pillows, burying your face amongst them. 

“Oh no, get back here,” he jokes. You feel him before you look out to see him. His hands shake your shoulder, but when you don’t respond, he playfully starts to tickle your neck. You scrunch and try to scramble away, but he only continues. “C’mon.”

“I can’t!” The words have finally sunken into his head; the weight of them falls on your chest. 

“Oh, yes you can!” He teases more, moving pillows away from you, just for you to grab another and bury back under it. When Isaac realizes there’s no use in trying to win the pillow war, he swings a leg over yours and begins to tickle your stomach. Your shirt has begun to ride up from your movement, and temporarily, he forgets you’re classmates, not longtime best friends. “C’mon, give it up!”

“I-I can’t!” You’re running out of breath, and pillows. He pulls another away from you, then puts his hands back on your sides. Your eyes are squeezed shut, but only do you open them because of the unfamiliar feeling of him touching you. A beat skips in your heart at the sudden, unexpected realization that he’s not only touching your skin, but he’s also straddling your waist. You swallow hard. He pinches your side lightly, shocking you back into reality, and making you grab another pillow to hide your face again. Before you can grasp it, Isaac grabs your hands and pins them above your head. You pant, heart racing a mile a minute. His too, as you can hear in the moment you both grow quiet. 

“You think it’s hot when I speak French?”

“No, I think you’re hot when you speak French. There’s a difference.”

“Is there now?”

“The temperature of the room doesn’t get hot, it’s you that gets hot.”

“Oh, I see.”

“Not that you’re not always hot… I mean, sometimes, you’re more like a cute little puppy than a hot, French-speaking…” your words fade as your brain catches up, faster this time, yet still not fast enough. 

“Am I now?”

What’s done is done, you figure. Can’t take it back now, can only admit it. “Yeah.”

“Huh. So all this time, you’ve been teaching me chemistry, and I’ve been talking pointlessly while you listen and learn nothing?”

“When you word it like that, it sounds bad.” A pout graces your lips as guilt floods you. “But I have learned some things. I was struggling with direct objects, and now I’m not.”

“Ah. So I’m not totally useless?”

“Never. You wouldn’t be useless even if I knew perfect French.” Before he can reply, you continue. “I’m sorry I wasted your time. I shouldn’t have. Can you forgive me?”

“Forgive you for what? You haven’t done anything wrong.”

“I wasted your time when we could’ve been doing more chemistry.”

“Darling, too much chemistry and my brain woulda exploded. The French lessons are a nice intermission. Besides, I wouldn’t consider any time with you as time wasted.”

“Really?”

He drops your hands and they fall back down to your waist. He seems, then, to realize he’s still on top of you, and begins to climb off. “Sorry, I-”

“Don’t.”

“What?”

“Can I confess something else?”

He pauses. “Sure, anything.”

“I would’ve been okay with just tutoring you chemistry, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to look you in the eye long enough to do it well.”

“You’ve been doing great with the eye contact thing. I know it’s not your strong suit, but you’ve made a lot of progress these last couple weeks.”

“Thank you,” you smile. “It’s not only that.” A heartbeat passes. “I like you.”

“You like me?” His eyes narrow before he assumes only, “you like my voice.”

“No, I like you. I mean, yes, I like your voice, but I like it because I like you.”

“Like me, as in…”

“Like I have a crush on you.”

He tilts his head like a confused dog. “On me?”

“Yes.”

“Really?”

“Why do you seem so surprised?”

“I’ve never had anyone have a crush on me before,” he admits.

Now you’re confused. “What?! How?!”

“I don’t know!”

“That’s stupid. Never had anyone admit it, maybe.”

“I’d never know.”

“Well I’ve had a crush on you since the seventh grade.”

“You moved to Beacon Hills in the seventh grade.”

“Exactly.”

“And you’ve had a crush on me this whole time?”

“Very secretly.”

“Huh. Well I’ve liked you since the first day of school,” he confesses.

“I’ve liked you since orientation, so I win.”

He smiles, then shakes his head playfully. “So I sit behind you in classes for years and only finally get the courage to talk to you when I’m borderline failing chemistry, and you only get the courage to talk to me for more than one minute if you can convince me to talk half of the time that we’d be studying together.”

“Sounds about right.”

“And my portion of the talking is in French, because you think my accent is hot?”

“Your accent is always hot; your French is hot on its own.”

“Ah, I’m following now.” He chuckles, letting his fingertips grace your hips. 

“So,” you ask, “as two people with several year long mutual crushes on each other, what do we do next?”

“Well you’re the one that’s been tutoring me chemistry, love, I’m hoping you have the answer.”

You laugh, rolling your eyes playfully. “Wrong kind of chemistry, dork.” You reach your hands up to the sides of his face anyway, and pull him down for a kiss. Isaac complies immediately, setting one hand down beside you, while the other caresses your chin. Your legs hook around his waist, keeping him close until he starts to pull away, needing air. You let go, then hide your face as his own turns a rosy pink. 

“That was worth the wait,” he says, smiling, and touching a finger to his recently-kissed lips. “Êtes-vous d'accord?” 

“Shut up,” you tease, pushing him slightly. “Chemistry time.”

“We just had chemistry time. It’s French time now.”

“No, we can skip a round,” you insist, unsure you can hear anymore French fall from his lips without folding and kissing them again.

“On the contrary, I think you need to sharpen your vocabulary.”

“I think I’ll need a water break first.”

“That we can do,” he agrees. “I’ll make sure to get yours with extra ice.”

“Shush!”

[paddockbunny]

Daniel Ricciardo Fluffy A-Z

Summary : Just a smutty little a-z for one Mr Ricciardo Rating : 16+ (although no mature themes can be found) Word Count : 2.4K Warnings : No warnings….it’s sugary sweet (one mention of sex) List origins : @eefiplier

A = Attractive: what do they find attractive about the other?

- Daniel’s non physical thing that makes him attracted to you is how big your heart is and how you are such a caretaker.

- You just do these small little things that you don’t even realise that has him falling deeper and deeper in love with you

- Like when you saw a little toy car that looked like the one he drove and exclaimed “I need to get this for Isaac! Isn’t it so cute?!” Before excitedly buying the toy for his nephew. Or back when you were first dating and he asked you to check on his place, you organised his closet for him simply “just because.”

- Your favourite thing about him is the ability to make you laugh and feel safe.

- You were a fairly stress-y person by nature and he could always lighten the mood and pull you out of whatever anxiety hole you were about to spiral into.

- No one had ever made you feel so safe before and for that you loved him endlessly.

B = Baby: do they want a family? why/why not?

- It really didn’t take long for Daniel to bring up the kids discussion.

- When he introduced you to his family (after roughly only two months of proper dating) he knew he wanted to have babies with you. Just the way you were, your nature and spirit with his niece and nephew filled him with love.

- You were younger than him so it was a little daunting however, you had always wanted to be a mother so liked the fact he was laying his cards on the table.

- Daniel had developed a random habit of shouting out random boys and girls names to get a feeler for what your future son or daughter might be called. Some of them were just down right ridiculous but the ones you liked you saved in your phone for future reference.

C = Cuddle: how do they cuddle?

- With every fibre of his being.

- He liked engulfing you in big, massive hugs that borderline crush you a little.

- He just loved feeling you in his arms knowing you were his.

- Daniel’s favourite place to cuddle was naturally in bed. Either after sex or drifting off to sleep. He just needed to touch you.

D = Dates: what are dates with them like?

- When Daniel had the time to take you on proper dates he always put a lot of thought into it. He always made reservations at places you liked or wanted to try if it was a traditional dinner date.

- But more often than not, Daniel liked to plan a date where the pair of you were doing something exciting. A physical activity like climbing or hiking (and let’s not forget the couples yoga thing he organised, seeing you all bendy really had him going!)

- But unfortunately, he didn’t always have the time so when he felt like it had to be done, he would order room service (Michael approved of course) and you’d snuggle and watch a movie together in his hotel room. Phones off. Just you two.

E = Everything: “you are my ____” (e.g my life, my world…)

- Daniel doesn’t really go in for that kind of talk.

- But he had occasionally called you “my everything” when he felt like it and that was good enough for you

F = Feelings: when did they know they were falling in love?

- It was clique but it really was the first time he met you

- It was across the room at an event and when he saw you he couldn’t have been more struck by Cupid’s metaphorical arrow.

- When finally he plucked up the courage later in the evening to ask if you would perhaps have dinner with him sometime he almost fainted when you said yes.

- He had never in his life been so overcome by love (not lust, he had been overcome by lust pleanty of times) but love, only one and this was the one

G = Gentle: are they gentle? If so, how?

- Daniel was so gentle with you that you realised no one ever had been before

- He would constantly be telling you how beautiful you were and lavishing words of affirmation on you

- Physically, Daniel would die before he hurt you. One time he elbowed you in the side of the head by mistake (you were standing too close to him when he was getting something down from a high up cupboard so really it was your own fault) and he was close to tears while begging you to forgive him.

H = Hand/Hold: how do they like to hold? how do they like to hold hands?

- His fingers always entwined with yours and he was always the dominant. His thumb resting on top of yours so gently.

- Hand holding was really a thing for him because and when he explained to you he didn’t really do it with his previous girlfriends but desperately wanted to with you, it made you fall even deeper in love with him

- Now, he liked people knowing you were his so you always found him reaching for your hand

- He also had this sixth sense when you were becoming a bit overwhelmed or anxious in a situation and so he would grab your hand so you knew he was there and you were safe

I = Impression: first impression/s

- Daniel was 100% completely taken by you and he didn’t even know your name.

- He had never seen anyone as beautiful and when he finally got the courage to speak to you, he realised he had never met anyone quite as intelligent or emotionally connected as you were

- Your first impression of him was that he was traditionally very handsome and could kill you with laughter.

- However, you had met guys like him before so you were certainly a bit more cautious about him to start with

J = Joker: are they into pulling pranks?

- Always!

- His pranks were always simple ones and never, ever intended to hurt or scare you.

- He had hidden in a closet to jump out at you before. Honked his car horn while you were walking in front of the car and had you all prepared standing in the doorway ready to go to the airport for the flight for him to giggle like a child and tell you it was tomorrow.

- What he really loved though, was when you’d help him come up with little pranks to play on his nephew. A fake eyeball in Issac’s cornflakes was the best one you had come up with.

K = Kisses: how do they kiss?

- His kisses are all consuming.

- It is almost as though he isn’t satisfied unless he’s reached every single part of your soul through fire igniting kisses

- He kisses you with the type of kisses that would make you forget your own name

- And when he’s been away for a while, JESUS!!!

L = Love: who says I love you first?

- He does. On your very first date no less.

- While he is dropping you off, an expected rush of nervous excitement overtakes him and he means to say he had had a nice time but said “I had a nice love you.”

- You burst out laughing and he did too.

- “I meant to say I had a nice time and I’d like to do it again but I was all nervous and I mean, I like you…I really like you but love you? I mean that’s coming on a bit strong isn’t it? Especially for a first date. That’s super, super strong.” You kept giggling because he was spiralling and digging a deeper hole for himself. And although it wasn’t exactly meant you always recalled that as the first time he said “I Love You”

M = Memory: their favourite moment together

- When he took you to his farm in Perth.

- You had never been to Australia before and after he had shown you things in his hometown, introducing you to childhood friends and having the best BBQ at his parents house, he took you out to his farm for a few days just the pair of you

- It meant so much that he just wanted to spend time with you alone without anyone else around for miles

- He showed you the lambs and convinced you to ride a dirt bike.

- Every night (and spontaneously through the day) he made love to you and you had never felt so content in all of your days

N = Nickel: do they spoil? do they buy the person they love everything?

- Daniel doesn’t need to lavish expensive gifts on you (and you had made it very clear you could afford anything you wanted, money was certainly not something that would ever come into play in your relationship) but it doesn’t stop him from wanting too.

- Usually it was jewellery because he liked to see you wearing it

- But sometimes it was the stupid, small things that you liked most.

- If he went to the cafe he would always get you a croissant (even if you said you didn’t want one), he would bring you back your favourite candy when he went to fill up his car, or come home with flowers when he had been away for a while.

O = Orange: what colour reminds them of their other half?

- Easy, navy blue.

- It was the colour you were wearing when he first saw you.

- And every time he saw you in it since it gave his whole body this electric feeling.

P = Pet names: what pet names do they use?

- Daniel always calls you “Babe” and “Baby”

- Only once and a while does he stray to call you “sweetheart” or “darling” but it’s usually always “babe” or “baby”

Q = Quaint: what is their favourite non-modern thing?

- Writing.

- It’s seems strange in todays age but he really loves writing away in his journal. Sometimes spending hours just daydreaming and writing away

- And not once, never ever, did you ever sneak a peak. It was private. It was for his eyes only but he often told you he wrote about you in it.

R = Rainy Day: what do they like to do on a rainy day?

- Cuddle up and watch movies.

- There was no better way than to spend a rainy day than having you in his arms as you watch movies together.

- He liked Will Ferrel movies along with action and sometimes even romance (the chokehold Notting Hill has on this man) but he would watch anything that would make you happy

- It often lead to him kissing you and slowly trying to put the moves on you but you loved it none the less

S = Sad: how do they cheer themselves/each other up

- When Daniel was sad he always sought comfort in you.

- He liked when you would run your fingers through his hair and you had this way of making him feel better without even saying anything.

- And likewise, Daniel did the same for you.

- Just holding you was exactly how he cheered you up

T = Talking: what do they love to talk about?

- Anything and everything.

- Daniel liked how you took time discussing things you enjoyed and never minded about explaining things to him that he might not have been so clued up on

- He loved talking to you about music, motocross, cars anything really.

U = Unencumbered: What helps them relax?

- Sometimes Daniel found it hard to clear his head if a lot was going on

- The only place he could totally free his mind was out in nature or on a hike.

- So whenever you felt like he had a busy mind, you suggested going on a hike with him

V = Vaunt: what do they like to show off? What are they proud of?

- The only thing he ever wants to show off, is you.

- He felt like he had won the lottery every single day he was with you so he always wanted to show you off and make sure everyone knew you were his.

W = Wedding: when, how, where do they propose?

- Daniel had this whole big idea planned for how he would ask you to marry him.

- He had spent ages thinking about it, working out a plan and of course, he designs the ring instead of buying a pre existing one.

- But when it comes down to it, when he finally decides it was the right time, he choked.

- He got so nervous that he ended up backing out of it and he felt like he let himself down by not asking the way he wanted.

- So he ended up having to try work out another plan but then one morning, after spending an hour in bed just talking he couldn’t think of a better time like the present.

- He grabs the box and excitedly hands you the box before getting on his knee at the bottom of the bed.

- “Well? What do you say? Will you marry me?”

- “Yes!” You immediately start crying because you had never wanted anything as much as that in your whole life.

X = Xylophone: What’s their song?

- There wasn’t exactly one particular song that defined both of you

- But one that sticks in your mind was Cowboy Take Me Away by The Chicks.

- It was playing on the car radio while you were in Perth and he hummed along to it.

- There was something about that moment and that song that just gave you all the feels.

Y = You’re the ___ to my ___ (e.g the cookies to my milk, the macaroni to my cheese)

- again, Daniel didn’t go for those kind of cheesy lines, contrary to popular belief.

- But if pressed he would go for a stereotypical line

- “You’re the Goose to my Maverick”

Z = Zebra: if they wanted a pet, what pet would they get?

- it would take him a lot of convincing but eventually, after wearing him down, he lets you get a dog

- Sure he was still terrified but when he held that damn puppy in his arms for the first time he was done!

- He loved little ball of fluff and you’d find him talking to her sometimes, sleeping with her on his chest or teaching her tricks

- Seeing him with the little puppy really drove home what an incredible father he would be one day.

[theartofimagining13]

SYNOPSIS: This is the story of Oscar (also known as “el Toro”) who falls in love with the daughter of a winemaker whose winery is on the verge of bankruptcy. To save the family business, a marriage is arranged between Oscar’s lover and an eligible bachelor named Thomas. Nothing is what it seems, and playing with love and money will only bring grave consequences that will be paid with blood.

WRITTEN BY: A.Wölf.

CAST: Oscar Isaac | Tom Hiddleston | Pedro Pascal | Jeremy Irons

GENRE: Romance | Drama

CHAPTER SONG: “Di Mi Nombre” -Rosalía

NOTES: Welcome to the first chapter of this story. There will be six more. Follow the blog on Instagram for any additional content.

WARNINGS: There will be graphic depictions of abuse and violence throughout the story. It’s set in Spain so there will be many spanish dialogue and slang with English translation.

As always, the actors mentioned here are just portraying characters I created. No disrespect but only love for them.

Enjoy.

In this barbaric town, children play with knives.

Under the blazing sun, outside an abandoned cinema, where their parents can’t see them, they form a circle and two kids have a knife fight in the center and slash at each other until one of them gets cut. Stabbing is not allowed, the rules specifically say “scratches only”, and from the neck down but never below the waist. When the first drop of blood lands on the ground; game over.

A boy named Oscar quickly acquired fame after remaining undefeated for years. Many kids tried and challenged him but Oscar always won because he was better with a knife than anyone else, and he went from child to adolescent without having ever lost. The way he held the blade next to his head, the way he leaned forward and stared at his opponent from under his eyelashes as they went in circles waiting for the attack made the game look like a bullfight. That’s where he got his nickname; “El Toro de Valencia” (“The Bull from Valencia”).

I was just a child when I witnessed him in action for the first time, but I remember what I felt when he won and the most joyful and satisfied smile spread across his face, because his brown eyes found mine for a split second and it was the most honest and beautiful grin I had ever seen. Every girl in town had a crush on the Bull, fixated on his gypsy aura, the way his brunette curls would end out of place with each one of his attacks, and how his duels always seemed to resemble a Spanish dance.

Oscar loved the attention. He and his best friend Pedro, who cheered him on during his knife fights ever since they were kids, were quite the Casanovas. Every time they paraded around town, the girls would gather, whisper and giggle while watching them from a distance, and they enjoyed smiling and winking back at them just to make them swoon. I was too young to flirt and too young for the Bull to notice. I could just dream, like most girls my age did too.

At 17 years old, Oscar lost his first knife battle when a young blond man came along. They had been going around in circles, brunette and blond, skillfully dodging and slashing for hours that felt like seconds to the excited witnesses who clamored and cheered along with some flamenco clapping in the background. Everyone wondered if the Bull had finally encountered his matador and he wasn’t happy about it. The more he failed to scratch the blond boy’s skin with his knife, the angrier he got, and the more his nemesis grinned, challenging him because he knew the rage would distract him.

They launched themselves at each other in the same heated instant and slashed right before they held onto one another’s neck for balance. Time stood still and the two of them froze in place. The crowd fell silent as they waited to see which one of them would bleed. Both did; Bull and Matador. As they pulled apart, everyone could see that Oscar had a scratch on his chest, right above his heart, and the blond kid sported one in the abdomen. To the audience it was a draw but the Bull felt like he had lost while his opponent wore a winner’s grin.

Years went by.

No one ever saw the blond boy again, and when Oscar turned 18, he stopped playing the children’s game but he never stopped carrying his knife. Both he and Pedro started working in a wealthy man’s Hacienda, like most poor boys in this town, taking care of the large estate and its farm.

I never thought the Bull from Valencia would set his eyes on me.

My father owned a small winery that had seen its glory days back when my grandfather was in charge. We were known to sell the best wine in all of Spain but sadly, it was now on the verge of bankruptcy. I spent my days stomping on grapes and helping in any way I could. Oscar and Pedro broke in once and stole a few bottles of wine like a pair of vagabonds. I was in the back room and I couldn’t even try to stop them; they’d be gone by the time I got out of the vat and cleaned myself. I saw Pedro running past the door, followed by Oscar, but he stopped, took three steps back and stared at me from head to toe. He showed me that flirtatious smile of his but I saw Pedro’s arm coming into view when he pulled Oscar so they could escape.

Three seconds later, my furious father appeared with his shotgun, aimed and shot at them but it was too late.

They had the guts to break in a second time, but on this particular occasion, I was alone so I had the shotgun, and at the sound of me cocking it behind the Bull’s head, he froze in place.

“Las manitas arriba, chaval. (Hands up, young man.)” I said and he slowly turned to face me. “Tú sí que tenéis cojones, ah? Volviendo después de que mi padre casi les revienta la cabeza. Dónde está tu amiguito? (You have balls, eh? Coming back after my father almost blew your heads off. Where’s your little friend?)”

“Le robaré el vino a tu padre pero chivato no soy, eh? (I may steal wine from your father but I am not a snitch, eh?)” He said with a proud smile threatening at the corner of his lips.

“Oscar!”

Pedro peeked inside the room after whispering his friend’s name but his eyes widened the second he saw me with the shotgun. I aimed at him. Oscar took advantage of my distraction and pushed the firearm away but held onto it which made me accidentally pull the trigger. I blew a hole in the wall while Pedro ran for his life. I didn’t let go of the weapon, so we struggled until the Bull forced me to walk backwards and ended up trapping me with it against the wall. I looked into his eyes and the memory of the first time he ever smiled at me when I was just a child came back to me and filled my stomach with untimely butterflies. I was certainly old enough to do many things now, and Oscar was definitely food for thought.

“Las armas no son un juguete, niña. (Weapons are not a toy, kid).” He scolded.

I chuckled.

“El Toro de Valencia va a venir a decirme que las armas no son un juguete? (The Bull from Valencia is going to come and tell me that weapons are not a toy?)”

He cocked his head and slowly got closer until the only thing keeping us apart was the shotgun.

“Suelta. (Let go).” He ordered in a lower voice.

He was much stronger than me, so I grudgingly did as I was told. Oscar left the shotgun on the floor with the barrel against the wall and then he stared straight into my soul.

“Me dicen el Toro por otras razones, linda. El día que quieras, te lo demuestro. (They call me the Bull for other reasons, sweetheart. I can show you any day you want.)”

My mouth was about to fall open after his shameless implication but he quickly and recklessly captured it with his. The Bull kissed me how every girl who had ever witnessed his knife fights dreamed of; as if we had been passionate lovers for ages, as if we had been born to crave one another, and as if he was making sure I would never want another man while making me feel like I was the only woman on earth. I let go because it was impossible not to, for no one had ever kissed me like this, but when reality hit me I had to open my eyes.

In a small town like this where everyone knew each other, this was wrong, and if anyone saw us…

I didn’t think twice and kneed him in the groin. Oscar groaned and bent over slightly from the pain, but then he let out a suffocated chuckle.

I heard the front door opening which meant my father had returned and my soul left my body.

“Get out!” I said.

He stood up straight again and stared at me without a care.

“I’m Oscar. What’s your name?”

“Now!” I pushed.

He got his answer when my father called out my name, and he whispered it back to me before crashing his lips against mine one more time for a brief kiss.

“Te puedo ver más tarde? (Can I see you later?).” He asked as soon as he pulled away.

“You really need to leave.” I urged.

He grinned like a mischievous child as he finally left and I grabbed the shotgun while racking my brain to come up with a silly lie for blowing a hole in the wall before joining my father, but I could still feel Oscar’s lips on mine and it was all I could think of. I found myself wishing he’d say my name again when no one was around and felt like I would do anything he said.

That same night, after taking a bath, I was sitting in front of my vanity and brushing my hair when I heard a strange noise. I glanced out the balcony glass door and saw a couple of red carnations lying on the floor, and then a third one as it was thrown from below. I secured my robe, opened the door and looked down to find Oscar holding a bouquet but he stopped making it rain flowers and grinned when he saw me.

“How did you find me?” I asked as quietly as I could but loud enough for him to hear.

The whole town seemed to be asleep but one never knew.

“I have my ways.” He replied with a never-fading smile.

“Is this an apology for the stolen wine?” I inquired while glancing at the carnations.

“No. You should be apologizing to me.” He said.

I frowned.

“You aimed a shotgun at me, you almost shot my friend, and you hit me where men should never be hit.” He clarified, stressing the last part.

“And you liked it so much you brought me flowers?”

He shook his head.

“I liked the taste of your lips.”

I held my breath. I stared at the glint in his brown eyes and his messy curls. The Bull threw a fourth carnation and I caught it midair to tuck it behind my ear.

The third time Oscar broke into the winery, he did so after my father had just left because he now knew our schedules by heart, and he surprised me while I was grape-treading and humming to myself. He just leaned against the doorframe with crossed arms and watched. I stopped because a ray of sunlight was making his skin glisten in the most inviting way, and he could read me, could see the desire in my eyes. He simply walked towards me, put his right hand on my left cheek and kissed me. My heartbeat resembled the galloping of a bull stampede, and in the next second, we were holding tightly onto each other.

He got in the vat and we ended up ruining God knows how many future bottles of wine but there was no way I could regret it; the taste of his lips mixed with the grape juice was more deliciously inebriating than anything else in the world, and the way his strong hands caressed my body made me yearn to be his for the rest of my life. I perfectly knew that my parents would never allow the Bull anywhere near me, he’d be my secret and I’d be his. The thought of it had an enticing yet bittersweet taste.

This is how our forbidden love story began.

[flower-slut004]

TRULY MADLY DEEPLY

Summary: Pre-Werewolf Issac can’t believe he got the girl of his dreams.

Warning: Mentions of abuse. Fluff + Lyrics in blue

I can’t believe that you are here and lying next to me

He couldn’t help but stare at the girl sleeping beside him. YN let him in her room after a night with his father.

Out of all the boys in their school. She choose him.

Isaac Lahey, the boy who only knew his worth by his father’s cruel words. Worthless, bitch, piece of shit. The words echoed back to him

The words soon felt far away when he heard her words enter his head. My everything, sunshine, love.

He begins to wonder how he even got the attention of his crush. Why would she even look my way. He ponders.

All his negative thoughts disappear when he felt her arms wrap around him in a sleepily manner.

“Bambi?” she mumbles his nickname. The nickname that never fails to make his heart flutter.

“Bad dream?” she asks. Without giving him the chance to answer. YN adjusted herself on the bed so she would become the big spoon.

“Better?” she mumbles against his forehead.

Issac nods as he wraps his arms tightly around her waist. He felt his girlfriend smile against his skin before kissing it.

Last thing Issac remembered that night was her soft lips on his forehead.

And all those sleepless nights and daydreams where I pictured this

The next morning, Issac wakes up early and thinks about the days before they got together.

He remembers watching you fondly as you were asleep in class. He imagined how it would if been to hear your soft snores or how his arms would hold you so tight.

Issac recalls one time when the two of you sat next to each other on the bus.

Issac felt his hands so slippery he was ashamed to even look your way. Back then, Issac didn’t believe he was enough to be in your presence.

He viewed you as a goddess, a beautiful goddess who should have been with other gods.

Not him, he was just a tiny pebble.

Issac blushed as you gave him a small smile and hello.

That bus ride he secretly hoped that you would fall asleep on his shoulder, so he would be able to feel the comfort he knew you gave.

Sadly for him, you were wide awake the whole time.

Another memory Issac had was when after he got out of the freezer. He crawled into bed with tear stained cheeks and his fingers feeling numb.

The only comfort he had that night was imagining your nightly routine.

Would you be a night owl? What side of the bed do you sleep on, do you play music to sleep?

Issac comes back to reality smiling softy now knowing the answers to his past self.

I’m just the underdog who finally got the girl. And I am not ashamed to tell it to the world

The following day, Issac shyly grabbed YNs hand as they walk through the school. YN smiled down at their hands ans tighten her grin on his as they walk to her locker.

Issac could feel the eyes of the other boys, snickering and making fun of him for dating YN.

“Now how does freakshow get a hottie like LN?” Jackson asks tautly to Issac as he walks by.

Issac felt himself cower and looked down.

YN looked over at Jackson and scoffed “Ignore him Issac” She kisses him, the kiss was soft and filled with love.

Issac loved those kisses.

In a sudden wave of confidence, Issac wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.

YN rose her eyebrows in surprise but returned the action by wrapping her arms around his neck.

Danny walked by teasing them with a wolf whistle.

The two pulled away shyly.

tender touches, just to show you how I feel

Issac was never one for PDA due to his shyness but he was still touched starved.

To show you he loved you, Issac would pick up your hand and play with your fingers. He would bend them gently as you payed attention in class. Issac would bring the hand to his lips and kiss every knuckle.

After he was done, Issac would hold your hand tenderly.

When Issac wanted your attention, he would rest his head on your shoulder. He loved the smell of your perfume so it was a bonus for him.

Issac would nuzzle his head softy into your shoulder as you read your book. Typically when he did this, you would read out loud, but the more you spent with him. The more signs you picked up. Along with reading to Issac, you would also play with his hair.

Issac was shy but still wanted to show you he loved you. In private moments, things like this would happen. You loved every moment of it.

My heart would fall apart if someone said your name

Issac knew you were on some boys radar. He saw the way Jackson would stare or the way Scott would speak to you.

He always had his fathers voice nagging at him telling him how he didn’t deserve you.

Issac felt his heart crack sometimes when those boys would say your name.

He hated how they said it and he absolutely hated how he could do nothing.

Issac hated the fact that he wasn’t the only one who admires your beauty. Issac then curses at himself for being dumb.

Of course they want you, you’re beautiful, strong and caring.

Everything a guy can dream of.

He hated the doubt inside his mind of you loving him, because he knew in his heart. You love him and he loves you.

I hope you won’t get up and leave

Issac didn’t really believe in God but he prays some nights that you won’t leave him.

You’re the best thing that has ever happened to him and he wishes you’ll be his forever.

Everyone else in his life has left, he only has you.

Issac would go crazy if you ever left him.

He would never have to worry about that though, your love is too strong.

“Bambi? Hello” YN giggles as she waves a hand in front of him. Issac snaps out of his thoughts and looks at his girlfriend.

“Sorry..” he apologizes. YN made shook her head “Don’t apologize love, what’s on your mind hmm?”

Issac looked at her for a few moments “Just thinking...”

“About?”

Issac takes a deep breath “How I’m Truly, madly, crazy deeply in love with you”

YN smiles and kisses his nose “I’m Truly, madly, crazy deeply in love with you too Issac” she mumbles against his lips.

[pandaponderart]

Underrated Anime Part 1:

Hello my fellow Weebs, I’m back for some more Anime blogging, this time to talk about so not so well known ones. Some that have got forgotten with time, some that new Anime fans have maybe never heard of and the ones that I feel deserve more love and recognition. I’ve been watching Anime for about 13 years so I’ve seen a lot so this will be in at least 3 parts, so hopefully you like this and look forward to more. Til then enjoy, hope you can find some new anime you’ve never heard of thanks for reading and look forward to part 2!.

1. Azumanga Daioh(2002)

Starting off with an older Anime, and one of the best and earlier comedy, slice of life Anime that paved the way for a lot of other Anime in the same genre like Nichijou and Daily Lives of High School Boys. Off the wall and highly unrealistic, this comedy is completely over the top in the best way possible. it’s old but gold and should be crowned as one of the best comedy Anime to exist.

With the most lovable cast, you have Chiyo the 5th grader who is so crazy smart she gets placed in a high school class, then there’s Osaka, who’a real name is Ayumu Kasuga who’s named that because she‘s from Osaka. Osaka isn’t the smartest and neither is her other classmate Tomo Takino who will do anything to avoid studying. Then to balance out the cast is Koyomi Mizuhara aka Yomi, the smart one who keeps everyone in line and Kagura the sporty one. Then of course can’t forget to mention the teachers Yukari Sensei who is anything but the normal responsible teacher and to balance her out Minamo Sensei the responsible one. There’s no real plot with Azumanga Daioh but there’s not meant to be it’s just an over the top comedy slice of life, with moments that will make you laugh from your gut. It’s all about the characters and the ridiculous situations their put in and each one is a lovable idiot that really drives the show. Give this one a shot if you want a show that will put a big smile on your face the whole way through.

2. Eden of The East (2009)

Another older Anime, not everything on this list will be older Anime but there’s so many good ones like this!. Eden of The East is an action, mystery with elements of romance with one of the most unique stories I’ve seen in Anime. It’s a short watch being only eleven episodes with two movies following after which I recommend watching because they continue the story. I’m really surprised not more people know or talk about this show but it need to be talked about more!.

With one of the funniest and most bizarre starts to an Anime, our lead charcter Saki is on a trip to Washington D.C, when she gets in trouble for throwing a coin in the White House’s fountain she’s saved by a naked man who claims to be a terrorist. Not only is this mysterious man naked and claims to be a terrorist, he also has amnesia and is carrying a phone with 8.2 million dollars. Saki befriends this strange man and throughout the story they try to uncover more of his past, his involvment in an incident called careless monday and a dangerous death game with other players. They must also spend all of the money as instucted by the mysterious voice in the phone Juiz as well as try to save the world.

3. R.O.D The TV( 2003)

Ok I know I said this list wouldn’t only be older Anime but I guess the older Anime just has my heart and this one has a special place in mine. One of my all time favorites and one of the earliest Anime I saw and it still holds up to me til this day. It is hands down probably the most underrated show on this entire list and if you only watch one of these Anime please make it this one. The story is completely original, the characters are complex and endearing, there’s action, heartwarming moments, comedy and mystery, I wish there was more Anime like it, it deserves to be a classic.

It‘s a one of a kind show about the paper sisters Michelle, the oldest bubbly bookworm, Maggie the seemingly intimidating quiet giant. Then you have the youngest sister Anita who unlike her sisters hates books, she’s a bit rough around the edges but loves her sisters. Although they aren’t actually sisters they have a detective agency to help find lost books to help pay for rent while also doing odd jobs like being body guards. Their first assignment is to protect the author, Nenene Sumiragawa who is being threatened to be killed at her book signing. The paper sisters aren’t called that just because of their love of books, they can turn paper into weapons and whatever else they please, but each having their speciality. Nenene finds out they‘re paper sisters just like her friend who ‘s missing, Yomiko Readman and asks them for help finding her. They try to help Nenene find her friend, while solving other cases and saving the world with the power of paper.

4. Baccano(2007)

Probably the most well known but also I think one of the most under appreciated Anime, from Durarara’s creator, Baccano. I feel like most newer Anime fans won’t know this one and although it’s a beloved series by many, I still feel it’s underrated. Also another bias opinion shocker, it’s one of my absolute favorites but that’s why it’s here. It’s once again a shorter anime with only 13 episodes but it somehow manages to combine all of the storylines cohesively, it’s a wild ride full of mystery, murder, and magic that will keep you on board the entire time trying to piece everything together. Also warning it jumps around a lot so make sure to pay attention everything pieces together!.

Based in the 1930’s in the prohibition era you have several stories involving different characters going on but they‘re all connected to one thing the transcontinental train, the flying pussyfoot. Yes that’s actually the name of the train, why, still no idea but all these characters from different walks of life end up here somehow. Now to introduce some of these crazy characters, first off the goofy thieves in love Isaac and Miria, who aren’t the brightest but can steal just about anything. Lad Russo the sadistic hit man who loves to see people die, including fantasizing about killing his fiancé one day. Then you have the ones involved in gangs, all In different ones, but nonetheless involved in some sort of crime. First there’s Firo, the youngest of the Martello family and one of the immortals in the show, then there’s Jacuzzi Splot and his partner Nice, Jacuzzi is a big wimp and crybaby but will protect his loved ones with all he’s got and Nice is a bomb expert and his childhood food. Those are some of the main characters it’s such a large cast it’s hard to name and explain them all. This one is a must watch especially if you liked Durarara, jump on the hype train of this wild show.

5. Black Cat (2005)

Now quick disclaimer before I begin talking about this one, I haven’t watched this in years so it may not hold up as well as I’m remembering but when I watched it I really enjoyed it so that’s why it’s here. This was one of the earlier Anime I watched I’m pretty sure my friend showed me it but it caught my interest from the beginning. It’s not the most groundbreaking show to exist and I’ve heard that the manga is apparently better but that’s for almost every show. It’s got cool action, funny moments and a great cast of characters, plus not gonna lie I had a crush on train when I was younger. its just a fun show and definitely worth giving a watch!

Train Heartnett is an infamous cold blooded assassin who works for the organization Chronos, and because of his lack of empathy for killing he’s named Black Cat. But after a chance encounter with a bou hunter named Saya Minatsuki, they become friends and Train decided he wants to leave Chronos to pursue an honest living as a bounty Hunter. However chronos and particular his fellow member Creed Diskenth are not pleased with this and try to get Train to rejoin Chronos. Along the way Train teams up with fellow bounty hunter on the brink of broke Sven, the bio mech weapon and little girl Eve and master thief and seductress Rinslet Walker. Together they try to escape from Chronos and get enough money for their next .

6. Arakawa Under The Bridge(2010)

Where do I begin with this one first off, this is one of the weirdest Anime I’ve ever seen but just like Azumanga Daioh that’s what make it so good. Beautifully animated by Studio Shaft with some of the most colorful and visually appealing animation I’ve seen, it’s pure eye candy. it’s equally as strange as it is hilarious and it’s just a fun time that’s not meant to be taken seriously. So if you want a good laugh and something thats truly one of a kind in story and characters give this crazy show a shot.

The show begins with one of our main characters Kou Ichinomiya getting stuck by his underwear on a bridge by some kids, he falls into the river and is saved by a mysterious girl. Kou is the son of a wealthy businessman and his life motto is to not be indebted to anyone, so when he’s saved by this girl he asks what he can do. He finds out that her name is Nino and what she wants is to fall in love, so she asks Kou to be her boyfriend. At first Nino seems like a regular girl but she claims to be an alien from Venus and lives in a box under the bridge, not wanting to be in debt Kou agrees and begins living under the bridge with Nino. However Nino isn’t the only one who lives under the bridge there are many other strange characters like hoshi, the aspiring musician who wears a star on his head, and the captain who’s a human in a kappa suit. I highly suggest watching this strange sci-fi romantic comedy for something different and fun to watch.

7. 91 Days (2016)

The newest Anime on this list so far, see I told you it wouldn’t be only old ones!, this is also the darkest Anime on this list so far. This has been highly overlooked since it’s release in 2016, it reminds me of baccano and in parts like death note. If you like mafia movies or just a dark gritty story with some light hearted moments, it s short show but nothing is rushed and it’s solid from front to back and keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Just like Baccano, 91 Days takes place in the prohibition era in a town called Lawless where crime is rampant and illegal alcohol sales are thriving. In this town our protagonist Aviicio‘s family is killed by one of the mafia families, The Vanetti Family. He receives a mysterious anonymous letter telling him to return to lawless to infiltrate The Vanetti Family. He tries to befriend the families son Nero, to find an opportunity for revenge, the story keep you constantly guessing if they’ve truly become friends or if he’ll kill him. Please watch this wonderful mafia crime drama of friend vs foe.

8. Yamada Kun and The Seven Witches (2015)

This is one of the ones that I still really want to read the manga for because I just couldn’t get enough of it! i’m still hoping for a sequel one day! The premise of body swapping has been done many times in Anime and cinema as a whole but this one adds a unique enough of a twist to keep it fresh and interesting. I looked forward to watching this weekly each week meeting a learning about each new witch and learning what power they had.

Ryuu Yamada is a high school delinquent who wants a fresh start at a new school, despite the intention to start with a clean slate he soon falls into old habits of laziness and getting into fights. One day he trips on the stairs which leads to an accidental kiss with fellow student Urarara Shiraishi which causes them to switch bodies. Another student Toranosuke Miyamura learns that they can switch bodies and recruits them to his Supernatural Studies club. There they learn about the other seven witches that all have different powers

9. Arslan Senki (2015-2016)

The second to last of the list comes from the creator of my all time favorite Anime Fullmetal Alchemist, while it’s a very different series and not quite as good as FMA it’s still deserves a spot on this list and deserves your time. It’s hard not to compare it to FMA but it really is it’s own thing, and it actually came out before Fullmetal, it’s a historical drama about war and strategy and a character growing into his potential. Just as Hiromu Arakawa is known for there’s still some comedic moments and some great character development and a well done story, Plus if you like this there’s two seasons so there more to enjoy.

Ok I promise from this point forward I won‘t say anything more about Fullmetal Alchemist this is about Arslan Senki, here’s the story. In the year 320 the Kingdom of Pars is at war with the neighboring kingdom Lusitania. Pars is ruled by the ruthless king Andrangoras III who has a son who’s the complete opposite of him Arslan. Although he doesn’t know how to fight Arslan tries to prove his worth by joining the battle, but things take a turn for the worst when one of the kings officials betrays him. The once prosperous Kingdom of Pars is seized, and since Arslan is the kings son he must flee to avoid capture. So he sets off with his loyal bodyguard Daryun to find allies to help take back the kingdom. Knowing that Arslan is still alive he is still faced with pursuers from other kingdoms and the head of the Lusitania army, a mysterious man with a silver mask who knows a secret that could jeopardize Arslan‘s succession to the throne. Arslan is a gentle, kind person that doesn’t enjoy fighting, he must learn to fight and protect himself and gain the courage to lead an army to regain his home.

10. Shingeki No Bahamut: Genesis (Rage of Bahamut) (2014)

Leaving one of the best for last, not to be confused with the popular series with a similar name Shingeki no Kyojin(Attack on Titan) this show is just as good. One of the first shows from one of my favorite Anime studios, Studio Mappa. I had low expectations when I heard this was a card game adaptation from a new anime studio but I decided to check it out despite that and it was the best decision. This has all the elements of a great anime, the beautiful animation, the unique characters and the compelling story and all the cool action scenes are just a plus. There is a second season too but I’ll leave that for another time, ok time to stop gushing about this wonderful show, time for the story!.

Years and years ago the ancient powerful dragon Bahamut reeked havoc on Mistarcia, a land where gods and demons lived harmoniously with humans. The gods and demons manage to seal away Bahamut with the god key and agree to split it to keep him sealed. Now that the the peace has been restored we meet the main characters and one of my favorites the orange Afro haired bounty hunters Favaro Leone. Favaro is constantly on the run from his adversary and fellow bounty hunter Kaiser Lidfard who‘s main purpose in life is to get revenge on him. One day both of their lives are thrown into chaos when they meet the mysterious girl Amira who holds half of the god key sealing Bahamut and wants help reaching the land of Helheim. I also can’t forget to mention my other favorite character and the fourth member of this unlikely crew Rita the zombie necromancer little girl she is just the definition of cool. Then there’s the characters that want to steal the god key the demon Azazel and the knight Jean D’Arc who are constantly in the characters way but you’ll find out more about them in the show. These unlikely heroes must face the threat of the battle of gods and demons, the pursuers of the god key and incoming threat of Bahamut awakening.

[bloom-bloom-pow]

enhypen as people from my hs

honestly high school was a blast for me and i just want to apologize to anyone who was in high school when covid hit 💔 i made so many memories and i was feeling nostalgic because i was listening to onoffonoff by keshi which released when i was in high school 😭 gOD im old 

heeseung

there was this one kid who was an actor and was always in the school theater performances (our school was focused on the arts so he looked really good 😩) he had the nicest brown eyes and i tHinK his name was isaac but he had this slight british accent and everyone thought he was really attractive 😭 i tried making small talk until i found out he was two years older than me and had a super pretty gf who lived in britain 💔 he didn't have a lot of friends because he was new and was the environmental club's leader but i swear... everyone had a crush on him 🤠 and heeseung kNOWS he's a popular, pretty boy..

jay

gives me my friend mikey vibes, he was my first friend in high school... he saw me walking in the halls like 😫 and he was like do you want some meatballs? i stress made 75 meatballs.. please eat some with me... and BOOM yeah my first friend of high school over meatballs 😭 he was so funny and tutored me in spanish 😣 he wasn't even that good himself... i wasn't paying him tho so it didn't matter... if anyone tried to cancel him he would lift up his shirt bc everyone was in awe of his abs and we would all just shut up. i can see jay do this in the future, like i just know he checks himself out... 😭

jay

omg one of mikey's good friends was named elliot and elliot was one of the absolute nicest people i have ever met like he drinks his respect women juice 🤠and he accidentally told his baseball team we were dating so we had to fake date for a while and break it off (nothing romantic actually happened) and one time i was walking with him and his friends to the market but his baseball members asked if he wanted a ride 😳 he was going to get in but then he realized i wouldn't be able to ride and so he sacrificed a car ride for a friend 😭 also we got pizza every week.. idk yall but jake screams this type of energy

sunghoon

i was friends with this guy named steven and we were neighbors and i was so in awe with him because he was literally good at everything !! dance captain, cross country star, one of the smartest in our grade, amazing painter, bassoon section leader, funny, like what 😭 he dated my ex best friend all throughout middle and high school (they're married now..) but literally i was surprised every time he could do something else perfectly 😩 i didn't know sunghoon was an ice skater for a pretty long time and when i found out i was like 😥 what can't this boy do.. literally so talented and v v heartthrob 

sunoo

this babyboy reminds me of one of my closest friends now that i met in my freshman math class named kelly 🤩 kelly unni if you're reading this ily but like fr this girl would smile all the time and offer me snacks while learning stupid stuff like parabolas and blah 🙄 for any special holiday/bday she would always give out ramen noodle packs and can i mention she dances so well ?? we spent most of our time talking about seventeen who had just debuted i think (omfg) and this one boy named john who she really liked 💀 very cute and foodie vibes, we still rant to each other all the time 😣

jungwon

omfg this is literally my friend sam 😭 so so competitive and  took like almost 12 aps during hs and i highkey miss him 😭 so over competitive to an amount i had to become his therapist every spring 💀 had an INSANE obsession with twice and joshua hong and was friends with furries his freshman year.. highkey bad at texting still to this day and the only reason why i passed chemistry and was my prom date bc i got dumped a week before people could buy prom tickets 🥺 he was a really good friend.. the work ethic screams yang jungwon 😍 also a surprisingly good dancer despite being tall,, 

ni-ki

honestly gives me vibes of the girl who always asked for math homework 5 mins before it was due (i forgot her name 😭) but she was really funny and loud and apparently she got a lot of likes on musically (DO U GUYS REMEMBER?? I WAS IN HS😣) so nobody could really say no to her also she was on cheer and very hot so how could i say no ?? 😢 i let her copy off me for popularity 💀 but yea after using my for a good grade she gave me a hug and a giftcard and i was literally like WHQJSHWHWB????? idk just her chill vibe gives me ni-ki vibes 🤩

[moonylantsovs]

Habits [ I.L ]

request: Hey! I love your writing! Could you do a enemies to lovers fic with Isaac, with a bit of mutual pining (you know I love my fluff ) thanks so much!! :)

summary: Isaac Lahey moving into your house and becoming a part of your pack has been everything but great. After months of arguing and pinning after each other, you finally find common ground.

pairings: Isaac Lahey x Hale!reader

warnings: angst, fluff, swearing

"God, you're such an asshole!"

"I'm an asshole?! Well then you're a selfish, egoistic bitch!" Isaac yelled back as you rushed down the stairs.

You turned back to glare at him "Wow, real mature Lahey."

This wasn't anything new. Whenever Derek walked out of the loft, you and Isaav would be up each other's throats. It's been like that ever since he turned and started living with you and your older brother.

You only saw him as a cocky little bastard who your older brother took pity on. That boy has been nothing but trouble for you since the second Derek turned him. You basically had to babysit him in school to make sure he doesn't fuck something up and guess what? He got arrested the first day so you had to get him out of jail too.

His attitude towards you wasn't making the situation any better. He couldn't care less that you were his Alpha's little sister. He just waited for an opportunity to get on your nerves. You seriously didn't know why, maybe it was because of his newfound confidence or just because he was bored.

But you couldn't stand it.

"I feel really sorry for Derek, you know." Isaac said after a few minutes of us yelling at each other "Out of everyone in your family that died in the fire, you're the only one that's left so he has to take care of you. I bet he can't wait for you to leave for college or something just so you can give him a break."

In a blink of an eye, you turned around an slapped him so hard there was a red print left that still hasn't healed. You glared at him "I hate you."

You quickly made your way out of the loft not allowing the tears to fall down until you were far enough to know Isaac couldn't hear you crying.

He knew he went too far, you always got sensitive whenever someone mentioned the fire and he understood that, but he couldn't bring himself to apologize because of his ego. He had a crush on you since you first came to school during sophmore year. You two were never really friends, mostly because you hung out with people like Lydia Martin and spent most of your time making sure Scott McCall and his sarcastic best friend stayed out of trouble.

Not that he would admit it to enyone but he still liked you. Well that is, when you weren’t yelling at him. But he did, He also very much knew why he acted the way he did. He thought that his feelings would go away and he wouldn’t have to hide the fact that he was in love with his alpha’s little sister. 

But no matter how much time they spent yelling at each other or throwing sarcastic comments to each other during pack meetings. He couldn’t shake those feeling away.

Becuase he was completely and uterly in love with (Y/N) Hale, and he knew it.

-

You shut your locker so hard the sound echoed the school halls, but you didn't care, you were pissed.

Lydia gave you a look "What's up with you?" she paused before smirking "Let me guess...Lahey?"

"Don't say his name." you trew her a glare making her raise her hands in mock surrender.

"I'm just saying, you should just get over it and hook up, I can't handle the sexual tension anymore and I'm sure the rest of the pack feels the same way." she shrugged making you grimace and murm 'ew'.

Your best friend scoffed "You don't have to pretend around me, it's kind of obvious."

"What is?" you asked, genuinely confused.

She twirled a peace of her strawberry-blonde hair around her fingers "That you're completely in love with each other?"

You gave her an innocent look "I thought that was you and Stiles."

Lydia opened and closed her mouth a couple of times before choking out "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her words made you snort "Whatever. I have to go, I don't wanna be late to detention. You know how big of a dick Harris is."

"You can't change the subject!"

You pouted "I'm not. I just really have to go."

-

Once you made into detention, you took your seat near the back, next to the windows. But what you didn't expect was for Isaac to come in a minute later and to sit in the seat behind you making you roll your eyes.

Mr. Harris started assigning stuff for everyone to do. When he came to your table, he looked between you and Isaac "You two are cleaning the janitor's closet."

You narrowed your eyes before getting up pointing at Isaac with your finger and whispering "Does it gave to be with him?"

Knowing fully well he could hear every word you said, you could basically hear him rolling his eyes.

Your teacher shook his head "Now that I know you prefer not to. Yes."

You glared after him as you watched him leave before you turned to the beta behind you "Let's just get this over with."

He rolled his eyes but still followed you to the janitor's closet. When you stepped inside you told him "You clean the left side, I'll clean the right one."

Isaac made a show of crossing his arms over his chest "What if I want to clean the right side?"

"Then you're gonna have to suck it up." you snapped making him shut up and turn to his side of the closet.

After a few minutes of silence, Isaac decided to speak up "So...why do you hate me so much?"

"Hate is a strong words, Lahey." you shrugged "I just strongly dislike you."

He furrowed his eyebrows "But why?"

"Because you're an asshole to me half the time. Not to mention you're cocky and too full of yourself." you said not looking up from the boxes you were going through.

He clenched his jaw. It was obvious he messed up any chance he had with you because of his huge ego and his lack of ability to talk to girls he actually liked. He didn't have any problems wihile flirting with random girls in school that he had no idea who they were. But you were different.

So he said the first thing that came to his mind "Well maybe I wouldn't be an asshole if you weren't always such a bitch."

Isaac heard you scoff under you breath and whisper a quiet 'of course' he was only able to pick up on because of his supernatural hearing.

Before they could start arguing again, the closet door slammed shut making Isaac stiffen while you let out an irritated sigh.

You went to open the door, but it didn't budge. It still didn't budge when you tried to break it open so you realized someone must have put something over it.

The Alpha twins.

You were so focused on the door you didn't even notice the drastic change in Isaac's behavior. So when you turned around, you didn't expect to find him scrunched in the closet corner repeating the word 'no' over an over again.

Your whole expression softened at the boy's panicked expression so you kneeled in front of him "Isaac, listen to me. You're gonna be fine."

When he kept shaking you cupped his cheeks "He's not here to hurt you anymore. He's gone. You're safe now. No one's gonna hurt you."

He seemed to calm down a bit because his claws were gone and his eyes stopped glowing but he was still shaking. You didn't know what you were doing, but without thinking, you pulled the boy to your chest and shushed him.

You felt him wrap his arms around your waist and quietly cry in the crook of your neck, while you cooed in his ear.

It took him a minute but he eventually calmed down. Even though he was calm, he still had his arms around your waist an whispered "I'm sorry."

"You don't have to apologize, we all have our moments."

He shook his head "I'm talking about being an asshole to you. I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well I'm sorry too. I was kind of a bitch." you admitted.

"Kind of." he teased making you snort as you both pulled away and leaned on your own sides of the closet wall.

"You know maybe you aren't that bad." you said after a while of silence.

Isaac turned to you with a small smirk "That's probably the nicest thing you ever said to me, Hale."

"Don't make me regret it."

A/N: I hope this turned out how you wanted. I'm thinking about writing a part two.

[idwithoutthesuperego]

DREAM OF ME

CHAPTER 04: Surprises at parties

SUMMARY: m!reader (Y/n) is an incubus, who enrolls into an state university, just outside Beacon Hills, a town that has a quite lively supernatural little community, even if the supernaturals themselves aren’t all aware. There, he meets a shy blonde guy who acts like he is half of himself, and a dark haired one who is loud and can’t keep his mouth shut to save his perfect little ass.

Tags: Teen Wolf AU. m!reader x stiles x isaac. Smut. Fetishes. College. Nsfw. Past mentions of abuse. Physical abuse. Drinking. Drugs. Angst. Fluff.

 Hey, I’m still alive. Just had a LOT of things from uni and work to do these last few weeks. But the new chapter is finally here !

Thanks for all of those who are reading and supporting ^^

The twins are back.

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

You woke up on party day feeling pretty refreshed. How you had missed feeding. It hadn’t been a full thing, since you hadn’t had sex and maxed the twins’ sexual and vital energy before feeding, but still. Maybe Eve wasn’t so wrong after all. But gods forbid she knew that, she probably would make a parade just to boast about it.

Getting up from the bed, you put on a fluffy robe and poured some expensive wine in a nice glass. You couldn’t get drunk, but you could still be dramatic about it and appreciate the taste.

And so began your morning of choosing what clothes you were going to wear to your “all you can suck out of” buffet.

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

Stiles was woken up by the sun making his bedroom way too hot, what meant it was already pretty late into the morning. And also by the buzzing of his phone with a text from Scott.

‘Don’t forget you are giving me a ride to the party

Think your crush will be there?

- S’

Before he could panic thinking about what he was going to do when he saw you, he panicked about the situation he had gone to sleep in.

He was butt naked, blankets on the floor, he had visible cum stains all over his abdomen and chest, his computer was beside him on his bed still paused on a very kinky porn video, and his dildo and lube were right beside it.

Thank god he had locked the door; because that was one talk he definitely could not have with the sheriff.

Red as beet, Stiles stashed everything away and scooted to the bathroom to get ready for the day. And if he had to get off in the shower remembering last night’s videos, well, no one was there to judge him.

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

The party began pretty early for your standards, right in the start of the afternoon, but you supposed the people wanted to make use of the heat and the nearby lake as much as possible. So you arrived fashionably late.

Stiles, on the other hand, had a task to complete, so he had arrived exactly on time with Scott, making his best friend look for you, even if he didn’t really know who you were. He had already pestered Scott about helping him choose his best boxers, in case he had to go swimming or ‘more than that’, and a shirt that showed off his “muscles” (there weren’t any really), and pants that made his ass look big and perfect.

Isaac arrived just after Scott and Stiles, but decided to get a drink and be a wallflower. That way people could see he was there, but wouldn’t go out of their way to talk to or bother him.

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

Not soon after you arrived, you could already feel the atmosphere, the particular one this kind of events always gave. It was like a small buzz on your skin of having all these people with so much sexual energy pent up, but being too prude and socially reprimanded to do something about it, so they resorted to alcohol and games. But it only made everything more interesting and tasteful.

Gods, how you missed the times when people would just gather around for a banquet and an orgy. It made things so much easier. Nowadays you had to use apps instead of getting an invitation on your door with a time and place.

But no matter, you cracked your knuckles, and let your aura begin to attract unknowing people into your presence.

Stiles soon saw you. He had lost Scott a few minutes ago, so no one to give him emotional support or tips for this. He decided that straightforward was the best strategy. So he got two drinks and marched towards you.

The only problem was, when he got to you and you two were face to face, he had no idea what to say, and you already had a drink in hand. So he stood there, looking at you, frozen in place, trying to come up with something.

When you saw the boy that had bumped marching away not really into your direction with two drinks in hand, you guessed he was just going to walk past over, but then he made a sharp turn and planted himself in front of you, saying nothing. You feel see his anxiety and lust, see how his cute innocent face was slightly red from embarrassment, so you waved your hand and the people near you quickly dispersed.

“Yes?”

“Hi! I was just over there, and thought that maybe you wanted a drink, because it’s a party and everybody wants to drink right? So maybe want to drink with me? But you already have one, and getting drinks from strangers at parties really isn’t so smart. So that’s it, I’m gonna go. Bye!” He rambled. This boy was a mess, a hot anxious mess, but a mess.

“Wait.” You held his arm, making him pause and look at you. “Stiles, right?” Getting a nod from him in response. “You know what? I need a drink…” You said pouring yours to the ground. “…and a cute guy just happens to have offered me one.” You finished, taking one of the cups from his hand.

“Yeah? Cool… Wait, how do you know my name?”

“Yesterday, when you ran into me, the twins said it.”

“Oh, yeah…” Stiles had been so entranced and embarrassed he hadn’t even noticed. “So, Ethan and Aiden are your friends?”

“Them? Not at all, they just offered to show me around, but we didn’t get along so well, so I dished then and went home right after.”

“That’s great!” he said before he could think. “I mean… that you didn’t spend too long with then, with Ethan…” He just blushed and looked at his drink.

“So, are you going to ask for my name too or are you just going to parade that hot look of yours away and make me guess?”

That comment almost made Stiles crush his cup and blush beet red. “Oh my God, sorry! Yes, what’s your name?! I mean, I heard the twins calling you, so I know, but not in creep way?”

“It’s (Y/n), nice to finally meet you.” You took a step closer, smiling.

Both of you spent some more time talking, well most of the time Stiles was rambling, but you thought it was cute. As time went on, and he started to notice you were giving way too clear signs you were into him, he got more comfortable. But the boy had practically invited himself to show you all over town in sort of dates.

-------------------

Nearby, Isaac was getting another beer and trying to avoid the crowd. Not that having 3 or even 10 would have much effect on wolf, but still. He was, however, ever so worried about the time. He couldn’t even enjoy being out, too deep into thought, because he was worried what his father would do if he knew Isaac was spending his day drinking on a college party instead of studying, cleaning the house or something considered useful.

And that’s probably how he got himself into a bad situation. Just as he was getting away from the crowd, the twins noticed him and started following. As soon as they far enough, they really approached Isaac.

Ever since they came into town way back with the alpha pack and were beaten by the Scott – Hale pack groups (Isaac included), they were the only ones left, so they held a pretty big grudge on them. Still, they couldn’t do anything publicly or face the head on. So they resorted to some bullying and pranks over time. Now, the wanted their own pack to rule, enough with all those alphas in one single town.

Ethan was the first to speak up, startling Isaac.

“Hey bro, look who do we have here? I think I smell loneliness and fear. Don’t you?” That only made Aiden smile and Isaac grip his bottle harder.

“What do the two of you want?”

“Oh my, so snarky, I guess Hale really didn’t want a brat as charity work on his pack hmn? Word around is that scarf boy here was kicked to the curb.” By now Isaac’s teeth were gritting and his eyes ready to flash yellow. He was holding himself, because he knew he couldn’t take an alpha, even less two.

“Is that so? Word around town is that not even his own father can stand him presence. That blondie is only good to be a punching bag and cleaning the house.”

That made Isaac’s blood run cold. He lost control of his grip on the bottle, squeezing it too hard. By now he was bawling the glass shards into a fist and could barely feel it. All he could think was ‘how could they know?’, ‘did Derek tell on him?’, ‘did his father brag about doing those things to him?’. Isaac wanted to run away, wanted to punch those two, wanted to do something, but he couldn’t move. What if they told on him? If world got out, what would people think? How would they look at him? It was too much to even imagine, he could feel the fear taking control of his mind.

“Is that so Ethan? If bitch boy is so useless no one wants him around, maybe we should just make everyone a favor and get rid of him? Bet not even dear old dad would miss him. We can just send a maid on his place and the coach won’t know the difference.” Aiden said with a creepy smile, cracking his knuckles and taking a few steps into Isaac’s direction.

“Wait Aiden, I have a better idea.” Stopping his brother with a hand on his shoulder. “Can’t you smell? His fear is so strong he is probably about to pee his pants. There is no need to kill him.” He took came even closer, by now he was at arm’s length from Isaac. “After all, if he is so useful, we could add him to our pack and keep him around. It’ll be good to let off some steam.”

Ethan was pretty sure he and his twin had different definitions of “letting off steam” when talking about this. But he did miss having someone to train (beat up) from time to time. And if this put them one step closer to having a big pack, all the more reason. “Okay.”

Isaac could already see their eyes flashing red, his flashing yellow in response. He was afraid and angry, but if alphas made him submit, there was nothing he could do.

-------------------

After realizing he had, yet again, accidentally and clumsy invited you to date out of the blue, Stiles wanted to crawl into a whole right there and hide until he died. He swore he was blushing so hard he wouldn’t even need a jacket for the chilly night ahead. But you were still there, and even laughing at his stupid jokes, so he also just wanted to lean in and snog your face off like a proper gentleman.

While trying to make not so obvious that he was looking very hard at your eyes, your crotch and you lips, he caught sight of Isaac. Which in itself was weird, the blond had been avoiding him and the pack for a while now, much more at these events. He really liked and cared for Isaac, even if they spent only a few moments together. And he knew Isaac cared for the people of his pack, even if he didn’t voice it to Scott. But one day, he just stopped going to Derek’s and started avoiding everyone. What he saw next sent flags on his head, the twins following Isaac to a desert part of the woods. Something was definitely up

He stopped talking and paying attention to you midsentence, turning to look for Scott. Fishing his phone he even tried to call his friend and send a quick text telling where he was but nothing.

“Hey Stiles, is everything okay? You look a little off.” You could feel it, but couldn’t really tell him.

“Sorry, yeah, I just saw someone I know; I guess they might need a hand. Be right back? I’m really, really sorry. Please be here later? Or I’ll call you? And if you see a brooding dark haired guy with kind eyes called Scott tell him I ran in that direction?” Was all he said, marching into Isaac’s direction. Of course, without giving you his number.

Looking at his big butt in those tight jeans running away, your only response was “For the gods, why do I have to be curious?” And went after that ass.

-------------------

By the time Stiles arrived, things were ready to turn sour. The twins had their eyes flashing against Isaac’s. He was already visibly struggling to keep standing up. So, he did the smartest thing he could think of, he threw his drink on Aiden and ran to Isaac’s side. That gave the blond a breather while the twins took a few steps back at the sudden turn of events.

“What the fuck?! Stiles? What are you doing here?” Aiden spat, looking at his soaked clothes.

“Why do you have to be everywhere? Doesn’t Scott keep you on a leash or something?” The other twin completed.

“And what about the two of you? Don’t you two have someone else to pick on?” Stiles responded half standing in front of Isaac.

“Not that it’s any of your business, but we were just getting to know our new pack mate.”

“Cut the crap. Isaac’s part of Derek’s pack. And if you don’t back down, he will go after you.”

Now it was Aiden who responded with an evil grin. “Didn’t you get the notice? Isaac boy was kicked out. Nobody wants him around anymore. So we are doing him a solid and letting him join us.”

“Is that true Isaac?” Stiles asked the boy crouching besides him. But Isaac couldn’t respond, what was he going to say? Tell the truth why he ran away from Derek’s pack? If he fought back, were the twins going to tell on him, on what his father did to him? Silence was all he could respond with.

Stiles wasn’t buying the twins words, but Isaac wasn’t even looking at him. And if they fought, well, he wouldn’t even be able to run very far to be honest. And run while carrying Isaac was even less of an option.

Aiden started to make his way to the duo, already fed up with Stiles presence. “Now get out of here, unless you want a bite as a farewell gift.”

Just as he was about to grab Stiles arm to yank him out of there, he suddenly felt a chill creep up on his spine. An arm was over his, another on his neck, both keeping him rocked into place, and you talking right beside his ear.

“Now, now, doing that wouldn’t be very nice would it?”

It all happened in an instant for them, one moment you weren’t there and then you were. As soon as Ethan noticed you, his claws came out and was about to dash at your throat. But as soon as his red eyes crossed with you incandescent ones, all he could feel was pain. He could barely move because of it.

Aiden, seeing his twin, tried to free himself, but couldn’t move an inch, your fingers on his neck starting to dig deeper and draw blood. You came close to his ear again and whispered “down boy”, which only made him angrier, before tossing him into a tree.

When you broke eye contact with Ethan and threw Aiden, the first could feel the pain going away, but didn’t move, not understanding what happened. As he got up, the second could feel some of his ribs had cracked on impact. While you made your way to a dumbfounded Stiles Isaac pair. The dark haired boy considered running again, but you had just protected both of them, so you weren’t just going to kill them. Right?

“You two okay?”

“Y-yeah… But how did you? When did you? Why…?” Stiles just darted his eyes from you to the twins, not really understanding everything.

Isaac put a protective arm in front of Stiles who was obviously lost in his own questions. “Who are you?”

“Yeah, who the hell are you?! And what are you?” Aiden followed, feeling his bones heal. You only smiled and turned around.

“Oh, don’t tell me the two of you already forgot? After you so kindly invited me to your room just yesterday?”

The twins stared at each other, but couldn’t remember you at all. So you looked to them and spoke a single word “… remember…” in a voice that sounded like an echo, eyes glowing again. And all of a sudden, some of the memories you had taken from them rushed back in, the kisses, them taking off their clothes, kneeling in front of you in their underwear, laying naked on the bed, posing for pictures. That made the twins loose some balance and get embarrassed at the recollection.

“Now, I and these two are going to leave. I trust you two aren’t going to follow. After all, I took some nice picks yesterday, wouldn’t  want those getting around.” You winked at the twins and extended a hand to Stiles.

Isaac didn’t know what to think of all of this, but Stiles seemed to trust you enough to take your hand. So when you did the same to him, he accepted the help to get up. Both of them following you to your car.

-------------------

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@kinoko-kai

[0castergirl0]

Yandere Stiles Nogitsune x reader, human. The reader and Stiles have been friends since they were young. When Lydia rejected him the reader comforted Stiles and he began to see her more than a friend. When the Nogitsune took over the reader kept plaguing his thoughts and decides to kidnap them. They aren’t hurt, just tied to a chair.

This isn’t love

Yandere Void!Stiles

Ship: Void!Stiles x Human!Reader

Warnings: Mention of blood, trauma, manipulation.

Author note: Should I make a part two?

It’s easy to say that your fate was decided the day you dropped your mango juice on Jackson’s head when you were in second grade. It had been an accident, you were walking towards your friend when a pen made you lose your balance. Now, that would have been funny if you hadn’t tried to grab onto something and in a furious attempt smashed the small cardboard box in Jackson’s head.

Unknown to you at the time, he had been bothering a small skinny boy from the other class, someone with a weird-ass name you never actually cared to remember, what you did know however, was that he was never able to shut his mouth, which usually led him (and another boy with a weird chin) into lots of trouble. He instantly opened his eyes widely at the scene and bit the inside of his cheek.

“Oh my god! What is wrong with you?!” Screamed Jackson, now it was your turn to looked shocked, but the little boy was so angry he could have easily been your executor. Now you were running.

No. You were being dragged by the same skinny boy towards the hallways, you didn’t knew where he was taking you until he stopped in the backyard, letting your arm go and leaned his back on a wall trying to catch his breath. At some point you just looked at each other with wide eyes ‘Had that actually happened? Did you really smashed your mango juice on someone’s head?’

Before you could notice, you were both laughing loudly. “I can’t believe that just happened” the boy said trying to catch his breath again. You were red of the laughter and embarrassment, being able to just nod before going back to it.

You introduced yourself to the boy and he shrugged you off with a “I know” and then seemed to consider his answer again “I mean, not that I know I know, that’d be weird” he started rambling while you just tilted your head to try make sense of whatever he was saying so quickly “I mean” he sighed “We were in the same class last year”

Okay, now it was your time to go red. You had been in the same class with him and he clearly remembered your name, yet you barely knew that his name was hard to spell, something like mischief. He seemed to notice and tried laughing it off “I’m Stiles! Just in case” he said his smile flattened a little and you felt guilty.

Before you could find the words or a way out of that situation he was screaming at someone behind you “Scott! You will never believe what happened!” Now he was all jumpy again, the boy with the weird chin, Scott, made his way over the two of you, maybe it was time to go. But as soon as you started giving one step back Stiles grabbed your arm and started yelling “She just smashed her juice into Jackson’s head! To help me! Can you believe that? I told you we would have more friends someday!” Okay, you might have been just a kid but that really managed to crush your heart. Scott looked at you with a huge smile “That sounds amazing! Why do I always miss the good things?” He pouted and you laughed at both of them

“Because you really had to take Theo to the nurse” Stiles mimicked “That’s why you’re already missing out in our time with our new best friend! Now we’re four!” He gasped “We can be the fantastic four in Halloween!”

You started spending all your breaks with the three boys.

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

Now you were sixteen, Theo had to move and it was just you, Scott and Stiles. As much as you missed Theo, you were happy with the two boys, and they were more than happy to be with you.

It didn’t take you long to notice that Stiles had this huge crush on just the most popular girl in Beacon Hills, Lydia Martin. At first you didn’t care much about it, but you and Scott always stayed back, looking at Stiles’ plans to make her fall in love with him.

Plans that always failed and ended up with him embarrassing himself, you or Scott. And it always broke your heart a little. Now, you never liked him in that way, but you knew that he was the sweetest boy ever, and it hurt you to see him frowning after every failed attempt.

But this time was different. She was part of your group now, a really close friend, and so he though it would be different, she was nicer, stopped playing dumb and actually cared about the three of you.

But she refused to go on a date with him, she already had a thing going on with one of the Alpha Twins. And now Stiles was sobbing in your arms, he really had his hopes up this time. And now your heart was reduced to pieces side by side with his.

Every sob he gave was after holding it for long in his chest, and he held you tighter every time, you didn’t even bother trying to whisper calming things to his ear, he needed a hug and someone that listened to him. So you did just that.

Helping him to sit in the floor of his bedroom without breaking the hug and holding him even tighter, your right hand playing with his hair, trying to calm him. He stopped sobbing at some point and you felt most of his weight giving in. He had fallen asleep.

You tried your best to help him into his bed, being too concerned to leave him like that in the floor. Once he was placed on top of his bed you turned your back but before you could walk towards the door he grabbed your arm.

“Stay a little longer” his voice was raw because of all the sobbing, a knot formed in your stomach as you nodded and laid down by his side, facing him and trying to clean his tears from his cheeks.

“Why do you always have to go for her?” You asked him in whispers “Many other girls like you but you just don’t notice” Cora, Erika and every single girl that you knew had liked him crossed your mind, and you were just so lost in thought that didn’t notice the way it sounded, nor the intense look he gave you.

He was holding you tightly when you woke up, his head pressed against the back of your neck. You tried to stand up, but his grip on you was strong.

“Stiles?” You called

“Just five more minutes” He whispered without actually noticing what was going on, his grip on you only tightened.

“I need to get home, it’s getting late” you said.

“I’m not letting you go” His voice was sweet but sleepy. You had to refuse the urge to laugh at this, believing he was dreaming and not actually noticing who you were.

You were wrong.

“Stiles!” You called louder this time and he jumped.

“What?! What’s happening?!” Now he was too awake.

“Let me go, it’s almost midnight” you laughed as he suddenly opened his arms and went back to sleep.

You left soon afterwards. And you never knew how he groaned when you closed the door behind you, the way he was conflicted with himself, he really had wanted you to stay, to not let you go of his arms.

**********

Something smelt really wrong.

You tried opening your eyes but they were covered with a piece of cloth. And soon enough you felt your hands being tied to the arms of the chair.

Panic instantly took over, you weren’t a supernatural, you wouldn’t be able to break the rope, or scream your way out of it. Still you tried to scream as loud as humanly possible.

And then the coldest hand you had ever felt was pressed tightly against your mouth. You were terrified, someone had kidnapped you, and you knew the drill, you had seen it before, if they wanted information they’d have to beat it out of you, if they wanted something else...let’s just hope they didn’t.

“Shh, don’t scream!” A voice whispered/yelled to you “He will come back, let’s get you out of here.”

The blindfold was removed and you sighed in relief, Stiles was here, he came to save you. You almost laughed. He smiled at you but it didn’t made you feel safe, somehow that smile made your brain scream for you to run.

You ignored your instincts. And gave in to his hug “I was so worried about you” he said, but his body was colder than it had ever felt.

“You’re really cold” you managed to say. He separated himself from the hug and held your cheek reassuringly. His glance on you was so intense that you were sure it would end up making holes in your face.

He leaned in slowly and his lips touched yours. At some point in your friendship you had wondered what it would feel like to kiss him, always thinking that it would be a soft innocent kiss, but this was way more than that. His lips were cold and harsh, but you corresponded, blame the adrenaline if you must.

Just as the need for air was becoming quite too intense did he teared his lips from yours. You gasped as soon as you opened your eyes.

His eyes were colder than anything you had ever seen, but it was a grotesque smile that made your stomach turn. Then you noticed that you were still tied to the chair, and memories flooded back to your brain.

You remembered Isaac holding you as Scott told you about the Stiles that wasn’t Stiles. You remembered how you cried like you never had. And now you wanted to do just that.

“You aren’t him” your voice trembled.

“He did say you were smart, however I was hoping you to notice sooner” He was mocking disappointment. You felt sick.

“What difference would it make?” He added as he caressed your cheek “I’m him, but better”

You shook your head, he wasn’t Stiles, he wasn’t the sweet kid that had taken you on so many adventures, he couldn’t be. “Please, bring him back” you pleaded.

His smile stiffened and he slammed the wall behind you, making you jump. “You can’t see me, can you?” He was angry “you see me and you can’t see me! I am him, I am the same kid you saved, the boy you hugged after every disappointment! I am the only one that has ever held you while you slept” he closed his eyes “I just changed! Like Scott did” he took a pause and you had to buy your tongue to not contradict him “I’m better in every possible way!”

Now you were openly crying of frustration, you wished to bring him back, to have a power like your friends or even just have training like Allison. “I liked you just the way you were” you sobbed.

“Then you’ll love me this way” he added, and as you shook your head he smiled and held your chin up, to face him “It wasn’t a question”

[secondgenerationnerd]

Request from @maximumfiresoulhumanoid! Sorry it took so long 😅

—————————————

“You’re being ridiculous, Kai.”

“Well, excuse me for hoping the hot barista has more courage to ask me out before I ask him out!” The other teen sighs dramatically.

 What had started as a friendship of necessity, less other socialites assume something was particularly off about the youngest male Wayne, had become a true friendship. Some limitations of course, for Kai’s safety, but true as any other. Which meant dealing with Kai’s crush on the blond barista at the café.

“Just go talk to him!” Damian rolls his eyes at his friend’s antics. At the very least, Kai isn’t as bad as Jai had been before dating Lian. “Whatever his name is clearly likes you. I’ve seen him look over here at least seven times in the last half hour.”

Kai props his cheek up on his fist, “James. He’s probably staring at you, you gorgeous bastard.”

Damian chuckles at that, “Just because one is attractive doesn’t mean anything--”

“What all pretty people say.” Kai points out. “I swear your dad knew how to adopted all the pretty kids.

“I’m sure my brothers and sisters would disagree. I digress. All of us might be physically attractive, however, we all have some semblance of a personality. I’m sure James will see yours and you two will date happily ever after.”

Kai snorts at that, “You sound like Helena.”

“I’m far smarter than my five-year-old sister.”

“I’ve meet your dad and stepmom. Hate to break it to you, dude, but she won’t be five forever.” Kai sips his drink, “So what’s been up with you and that girl, what’s her name, Irey?”

Blinking, Damian tilts his head, “What do you mean?”

“Saw her name pop up on your phone. And saw your face.” 

“....It’s nothing.”

“Dude, you’re kidding right? I never see you react to that when a girl’s name pops up on your phone.” Kai can be oblivious about some things, but it doesn’t take Batman to see something’s up. “Do I want to ask what you all are? If you’re anything.”

“We’re...friends? We work together. It’s complicated...”

“What’s complicated about it? Unless she doesn’t like you--”

“It’s not that, Kai.” Dropping his head, Damian sighs, “When we met, I was an ass to her. She can be clumsy and she ran into me...I got angry and she got angry...

“What happened?”

“We got into a fist fight--”

“Damian!”

“I was 11!” 

“Dude, that doesn’t make it better!”

“Allaenat ealayk, I know that! I told you what I grew up with,” edited versions in different locations, but still true nonetheless, “Emotions were--are difficult for me.”

“Right. I’m supposed to take dating advice from the guy who’s too afraid to admit he likes a girl.”

Damian looks up, “It’s not that I’m afraid. I’m unsure. There’s a lot of factors that could impact our relationship. In any case, she just started dating someone else.”

“How do you know that?” Kai asks.

“Her brother mentioned it. Pretty sure his name is Isaac? Jai doesn’t seem to like him, but Irey’s not about to listen to her protective brother.”

The two friends sit in silence for a few minutes. Kai has no idea what to say because, well, Damian’s never really had girl trouble before. He’s never showed interest in, well, anyone. So silence is the best option. 

It’s Damian who breaks it.

“James keeps looking over here. You really should ask him out.”

“You should talk to Irey.”

“Different situation.”

“Weren’t you the one that was just saying--”

“Different situation.”

“Right.” Kai nods, “One day, Damian Wayne, you’re going to realize that someone is actually head over heels about you.”

That gets a bit of a smile from the moody teen, “I thought you said you didn’t ‘swing my way,’”

“Please,” Kai laughs, “If I could go after any of the Wayne boys, you’d be my last choice.”

“Oh? And which of my older brothers do you suppose would be willing to date a 16 year old?” Damian raises an eyebrow, “Or break up a marriage in Timothy’s case--”

“It’s cute that you call them by their full names to make people think you don’t like them.”

“-tt- I thought I’m supposed to be the logical one?”

“Meh. Logical or not, you’re still human, dude.”

“You sound like Irey’s brother.”

“I take it as a compliment. Is he cute?”

“His girlfriend seems to think so.”

“Damn it.”

[chaos-weekly]

The boys had finished fixing (rather, they’d finished watching Ezequiel fix) Tony’s car for the millionth time, and now they sat scattered around the shop with cold beers.

“You need a new car,” Ezequiel said, settling down into the ratty armchair they kept in the corner. Usually, Tony or Shiloh sat here when they came to visit, but Shiloh was gone. And Tony had taken Ezequiel’s desk chair.

“I don’t need a new car,” Tony scoffed, leaning back against Ezequiel’s still-organized desk. There was even a pink sticky note on one of the drawers. That had to be Penny Maine’s handiwork.

“Tony, you need a new car,” Isaac said firmly. Tony scowled over at him.

“I do not.”

“You need a new car,” Ezequiel echoed.

“What’s wrong with my car? Nothing you can’t fix!” Maybe Tony was getting cocky, but he knew the Correas had his back. Just like he had theirs.

“Everything I don’t want to fix,” Ezequiel replied dryly.

“And yet you still fix my car. It’s our thing, Ezequiel.”

“It is not our thing. It is me pitying you and not wanting to deal with you whining about a broken car.”

“I don’t whine,” Tony objected.

“You whine,” Isaac assured.

“Who’s whining?” A new voice entered; Penny Maine was here in her too tall to be reasonable heels (that she still walked in with ease) and a tight, short dress. She smelled a little like tequila, and her hair looked wind blown.

“Tony,” Ezequiel and Isaac said.

Penny Maine paused to think. “I wouldn’t say whine as much as he purposefully annoys.” She glanced around the shop, where all three chairs were taken or otherwise occupied by stuff. How did anyone work in this place? Everything was out of place! If anything had a place to begin with. She’d have to come back here one weekend and reorganize the place for E.

“Close enough,” Ezequiel grumbled. Penny Maine rolled her eyes.

“Oh relax. You know you love him.” She walked towards the emptiest chair. She moved the stuff on it to the desk, but stepped back in a hurry.

“E, scoot over,” she demanded, walking o we to the old armchair where he sat. It was the only chair that could support two people. And she was lucky that E was the person in it. Even if he’d never be interested in her. He wasn’t interested in anyone.

“What’s wrong with that one?” Ezequiel asked, gesturing with his beer to the chair she’d cleared off.

“There’s dirt on it.”

“Wipe it off.”

“I’m wearing a nice dress. No. Now scoot your boot.” Penny Maine placed her hands on her hips until Ezequiel complied. She sat down next to him. Which meant that she really sat down with her legs over one arm and her back against the other, with the middle of her body placed neatly on Ezequiel’s lap. Penny Maine hadn’t planned for this, but she wasn’t gonna hold back. If anyone gave her crap, she’d blame it on the one margarita she’d had.

“So, E, huh?” Isaac asked, amused. Penny Maine nodded over at him.

“No, not E. It’s Ezequiel,” Ezequiel said, but his words were weak. Penny Maine looked over at him, very aware of how close their faces were. And of how nice he smelled. He must have changed into clean clothes after fixing the junker in the shop. Or he’d work an apron or something when fixing stuff under the open hood.

“Okay, E.” Penny Maine grinned at him impishly. She could hear Tony and Isaac snickering, but she had no clue why. So what if she called Ezequiel E? It wasn’t her fault everybody else didn’t want to upset him. But this was her best friend’s older brother. And the guy she’d been crushing on since before senior prom. Penny Maine was scared of no one.

Ezequiel sighed in defeat, and Penny Maine looked over at the other boys. “Shiloh and. I went dancing tonight. But she went home with some hot dude,” she sighed. “So I came here instead.”

“Shiloh went home with someone?” Arjun asked, entering the shop. He took a cold beer from the mini fridge and the empty seat with dirt on it.

“Yeah! A really, really hot guy. He was a really good dancer, too,” Penny Maine noted. She looked to Tony, who had a clenched jaw and narrowed gaze. Somebody didn’t like this information. Time to make it worse.

“She gave me the keys and everything—“

“That’s enough, Penny Maine,” Ezequiel piped up, sounding pained.

“And it’s my cue to go,” Isaac added, shaking his empty beer bottle. “Nice knowing you, Tony.” He sent a playful wink that Penny Maine attributed to E’s inevitable anger for Tony’s feelings. She didn’t get what the fuss was. Tony would never hurt Shiloh. Like, ever. He wasn’t a harmful person.

“Bye, gorgeous! Oh, and Arjun! there’s dirt in the chair. Take Isaac’s so you don’t get dirty!” Penny Maine exclaimed, pointing to the now vacant chair. Arjun obeyed.

“What were you saying about Shiloh and this hot guy?” Arjun asked, smiling deviously. At least somebody was happy to hear about Penny Maine living vicariously through Shiloh!

“Oh! I was saying that he was a really, really great dancer. And hot. Like, he had a whole sleeve of tats and his face was gorgeous and—“

“That’s enough,” Ezequiel said. Well, he whispered it in Penny Maine’s ear. She didn’t have the capacity to control the shiver from his nearness and the intimacy, even if it wasn’t intimate on purpose.

This wasn’t fair. But Penny Maine wouldn’t fight fair if E wouldn’t either.

“Just saying, Shiloh has a really great night ahead of her if that man can move in bed like he can on the d—“

She squealed. Penny Maine squealed, and it was all Ezequiel’s fault. He’d picked her up and moved her!

“Put me down!” she commanded.

“Stop talking about my sister’s love life.”

“No!”

“Fine.” And that was when Penny Maine realized she was now seated on the dirty chair. She squealed again and jumped to her feet.

“Ezequiel!”

“Ooh, full name, he’s in trouble,” Arjun joked. Tony made no response, but he was too busy glaring at the wall until it developed coronavirus. Somebody really didn’t like hearing about Shiloh’s sex life. Even more than E didn’t like it. Or at least for different reasons.

“He is in trouble!” Penny Maine agreed. She glared at Ezequiel, but he stared back with a glint of challenge in his eyes.

“Fine, I’ll stop for now, but Shiloh is clearly going to have a great night.”

“That’s not stopping, Penny Maine,” Ezequiel groaned, head falling back and eyes shutting in frustration. She shrugged and took the opportunity to reclaim her spot in his lap. She was so not sitting in the dirty chair. And Tony was Shiloh’s and Arjun wasn’t her type. E, however, had the bestest tattoos and also he rode a motorcycle but he had that heart of gold and was hardworking and caring and loving and selfless and all those amazing things.

Yeah, Penny Maine had it bad.

“I’m stopped now,” she declared as if it were obvious. Ezequiel groaned again, but at least he wasn’t complaining about her choice of seating. Penny Maine counted that as a win in her book, even if it was a win that meant nothing.

“So, Tony, how does Shiloh having a hook up make you feel?” Arjun asked. Somebody was definitely still in troublemaker mode. Then again, Penny Maine wasn’t sure her friend had any other mode. First the club, now this? Boy had a death wish at the hands of handsome men.

“He has no opinion,” Ezequiel remarked, speaking over whatever Tony was going to try and pass off as the truth. He was clearly upset. His knuckles were white around the neck of his beer bottle. Penny Maine would happily report all of this to Shiloh the next day, once the hangover faded.

“Is that true, Tony?” Arjun countered.

“It’s true,” E said for him, again.

“Oh, hush up,” Penny Maine said, rolling her eyes and looking to glare at Ezequiel. He glared right back. ‘Cept there wasn’t any heat behind his glare. He was cute when he was trying to be upset.

“It’s true,” Tony grumbled. There was plenty of heat in his words. Somebody was a liar. He needed his pants on fire.

“Liar, liar, pants on fire,” Penny Maine sang, totally apathetic that her singing voice was horrendous. She was much better at dancing and fashion than singing. Not that it was hard.

“New topic,” Arjun announced, probably sensing that he’d veered into dangerous territory between his friends. “Why does Penny Maine get to call Ezequiel E but no one else does?”

“I don’t give him a choice,” Penny Maine answered decidedly. “And I’m his favorite of Shiloh’s friends.” She was joking there, but she wished that much was true. But Tony and Shiloh were friends, too, so Tony automatically won there.

Ezequiel, however, made no comment. Penny Maine wondered what that meant.

“Interesting,” Arjun mused, stroking his chin. “Very interesting indeed. I think E here has a cr—“

“I’m going home and so are all of you,” Ezequiel interrupted. He patted Penny Maine’s waist, and she got up off his lap. Sadly. She liked sitting there. He was nice and warm. And he smelled really good, somehow. Probably since he hadn’t been at the shop all day.

“Good idea. But someone needs to drop me off ‘cause I have Shi’s car and I’m not crashing at her place if there’s a hot guy there.”

Ezequiel groaned, but only at the mention of Shiloh’s sex life.

“Well, I’m taking Tony home, since his car sucks,” Arjun announced. “Guess that means E over here will take you.”

“It’s Ezequiel,” he snapped at Arjun. Penny Maine giggled. She really was the only one who got to use a nickname for him. That was cute. E was cute.

“So can you give me a ride home?” Penny Maine asked, looking up to him with wide eyes. There was an almost smile on his face when he nodded.

“Yes, but I took my bike here.” Penny Maine squealed, jumping up in excitement and landing neatly, despite her too tall heels. She loved motorcycles! They were so cool. And Ezequiel had an extra cool one. She didn’t know anything about make or model, but his definitely looked cool.

“Perfect. Thank you, E.”

Maybe the night had a bad forecast starting out, but it had a happy ending, and that made everything okay.

[grayroman]

⌠ OSCAR ISAAC, 41, CISMALE, HE/HIM ⌡ welcome back to gallagher academy, ROMAN GRAY! originally hailing from BLACKTHORNE, this alum specializes in RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT. when i see them walking around in the halls, i usually see a flash of (dark curls above scratched up reading glasses, milk and sugar with a hint of coffee, a multitool in the pocket of a worn brown leather jacket).  it’s the pisces’ birthday on 03/09/1980, and when they were still in school their most requested dish was SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI from the school’s chefs. hopefully their presence can help ease the minds of gallagher students.

                                                  𝗥𝗢𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗡’…

ACESS: GRANTED FILE NAME: GRAY, R.; 40; NO AGENCY

Roman Gray has had many ups and downs, sadly typical for someone in this line of work. Still, he likes to think he’s a pretty upbeat, healthy, friendly guy, though he may just be doing a good job hiding all the trauma in his life– again, sadly typical for someone in his line of work. He grew up without the knowledge of the spy world, and never attended a spy prep school. In his public high school in Queens, New York, circa late 90′s, he's the smartest kid in class, leagues above any of the other students. Coming from a low-income family, Roman figures the only way he’d be able to go to college was through a scholarship, so he works hard, thankful for his sharp intellect and aptitude towards technology. Naturally, the president of Robotics Club, he goes on to win several awards, and become nationally recognized– well, in the student robotics and technology community. But that, and his high IQ, puts him on the radar of Blackthorne Institute.

A letter arrives at the Gray household, asking for a chance for Roman to meet with recruiters from a boy’s university in Virginia. The family all jumps at the chance, and Roman meets with two of the buffest and suavest guys he’s ever seen in his life at a nearby coffee shop. They seem to eye the way Roman engages in polite conversation with his favorite barista, how he takes his coffee with 60% milk and sugar, and the way he kindly offers to pay for their drinks. Nonetheless, they disclose to him how his age and intellect would make him a great fit for their school, that even has a Research & Development major that would put his unique skills to use, as well as give him an additional new breadth of skills. However, if he enrolls, he would have to move to Virginia full-time and because of the nature of their private school, he could not withdraw until his degree was complete. But if he so chooses, Roman has a full four-year ride.

It’s a hard decision, to leave his family, but they all agree that this would be the best for all of them. He could go to a university that would not only allow him to pursue his passion, but not cost him or his family a cent, and put him on the road to being able to help provide for their future. So, despite the red flags and the slightly off-putting nature of the recruiters, he accepts.

When Roman first shows up to the Blackthorne Institute For Boys, he’s instantly in for a culture shock. The school is nothing like he’d imagined– bleak and dark, rigid and rough. And when he learns of it’s true purpose, of the world of spies, he feels betrayed. But the problem is there is no getting out now, he's stuck, feeling trapped and tricked by the institute and the people in charge. Still, they promise him that with his proficiency for his major, they could guarantee him a job upon graduation, and that if he tried to leave beforehand, everyone would be sorely unhappy. So Roman stays, in desperate hope to provide for his family, focusing on honing his craft, and channeling all his anger at the cruel nature of the school into all the physical training.

When his third year of school rolls around, he’s gotten good at throwing punches and shooting firearms, though he’s still definitely not the best in those departments– not to mention he hates it. But he’s at the top of his class when it comes to his major, making huge strides and taking advantage of the resources at his disposal, all while managing to keep his goodhearted disposition despite the harshness of the school. But this is also when he starts to hear rumors of the institute’s graduation process, and all this comes screeching to a halt, sick to his stomach. There’s no way out, he knows that, he doesn’t have to ask his instructors. So does that mean…? Roman barrels on ahead, refusing to think about it, refusing to accept that future.

By the time of his senior year, his father gets laid off from his low-rung corporate job, the only thing that had been keeping their family afloat. Loans are taken out, his family is put under more strain than ever before, and Roman resents both the capitalist assholes that had cut corners to line their pockets and the school that was keeping him hostage away from his family. Towards the end of his last year at Blackthorne, the CEO of the corporation is on trial, for revelations of embezzlement and even other heinous physical crimes committed against individuals in his employment. He’s at his peak of frustration, and with all the pressures of the school crushing him, he sets out on his graduation. After executing a hit on the CEO, Roman is silent the entire drive home, and upon reentering the school, runs straight for the bathroom to vomit.

Blackthorne pulls through on their promise, setting up a now emptier Roman with a job at an agency, working on developing and building new weapons. He hates it, really, but it pays extremely well, allowing him to support his family on his salary alone, and it gives him the space to later become one of the foremost experts in his industry. After years there, his murder farther in the past with each day, Roman starts to become more himself again, a humorous hotshot and quick as a whip. He even meets his best friend at that agency, a field agent who understands him better than anyone else.

Nearly a decade ago, while out on a mission, this best friend is caught in a struggle with his opponent, and as a result, the enemy gets a hold of his gun– a model Roman had made himself– and shoots him.

Roman quits immediately.

Since then, he’s become a freelance worker, taking jobs all over the globe, always moving. He’s been consulting on research studies and developing tech for hire, making a good earning for himself, and enough to keep sending his family back home money every month. On the outside, he’s his regular self– jovial, extroverted, cracking jokes and staying on top of his work, but he’s acquired a fear of staying in one place too long, making it impossible to commit to anyone or anything.

Fresh off a juncture in Berlin, he gets a call from one Laura Sutton, offering a mentoring job as a Blackthorne alum and expert in Research & Development at her school, the prestigious Gallagher Academy. While he’s not jazzed about being back in Virginia under Blackthorne’s name, and having to see the many faces of students he was once like, he takes it anyway. To Roman, this should be just another consulting job, and nothing more.

TL;DR - THE FACTS

the R&D alum who would have been here since January lol

was a Blackthorne graduate in order to support his family, since they promised him work after graduation

hates Blackthorne and all it’s memories, did not fare well there, and the hit he had to perform in order to graduate is his only direct kill, and one of the worst moments of his life

worked at agency for many years developing weapons

became a freelance agent after the death of his best friend, works on research and tech for anyone in the spy world who would pay

a bit of a nomad, doesn’t like to stay in one location too long; roaming loner with a heart of gold

generally friendly and easy-going; does his best to ignore all past trauma with humor and smiles

likes to pretend he’s tough, but he can’t take coffee black, has to have alcohol that’s sweet and fruity, and is obsessed with some musicals, so

not super happy about being here as a Blackthorne alum, but he does want to help the students

weary of all this Brotherhood nonsense, can’t help feeling guilty for all the kids, he doesn’t feel strange in wishing there wasn’t so much violence

protect the kids! he’s ready to adopt them but not really he can’t handle commitment, he refuses to like the kids too much

CONNECTIONS

Elise Park

Jack Stone

Irene Bradford

Naomi Powell-King

Hal Hardy

Allie Beckett

and that my friends is what you missed on glee!! hmu on disc to plot!! this has been another strud special!!

@gallagherintro

[anaisfinallywrites]

Day 1 - February 8th “Cupid”

"We should probably put them in a room together to sort their shit out," Scott said thoughtfully.

The whole room was so quiet you can hear a pin drop. Scott looked up to see everyone was looking at him.

"I can't believe you're mentioning this now after all this time. They haven't exactly been subtle since from the very start." Lydia looks decidedly unimpressed with Scott's observation.

"We didn't get along from the beginning, okay? There was a lot of bad blood with him and me, him being passive-aggressively helping while I'm stubborn as hell to not listen to his advice. I'm slow on the uptake, not dumb." Scott retorted defensively.

"Isn't that the reason why we're having this very secret meeting that neither the two of them are present for?" Allison spoke up, trying to defuse the tension. "You can try all you want, princess but Derek is an immovable wall when it comes to Stiles." Erica chirped with way more mischief in her eyes than was necessary.

Boyd sighed a long-suffering sigh. "You can't blame the guy, okay? We all know his track record with relationships."

"We know," everybody chimed in perfect unison.

"Um," a hand was raised tentatively from the tallest guy in the room. "Are we seriously trying to act as Cupid for Derek and Stiles?”

All eyes honed in on the golden-haired cherub looking, boy. "Yes, we are." The answer was unanimously bland.

"What are you going to do? Love potion?" Kira asked sceptically.

"Nope," Scott said with a grimace on his face. "Jennifer Blake. He'll just kill us when he gets his head screwed on straight."

Lydia knocked on the table with her knuckles. "We can't be subtle with the two of them. We need a steamroller to make them see it. Any romantic movie ideas?"

The silence was telling.

"Ugh."

↬

"What are you doing here, Braeden?" Derek greeted the woman carrying a duffel bag in front of his door.

"I thought you said I could save money and stay at your loft whenever," she replied with wide innocent eyes.

He sighed deeply and stepped aside to let her in. "I'm not playing whatever game you're playing."

"Good to know that you know there's a problem." She walked in like she owned the place, dropping her duffel bag at the side of the sofa and sat down gently. "Valentine's Day is like two weeks away."

"Will you be my Valentine's?" He asked sarcastically.

"I'm going to ask Laura," she said, entirely too gleeful.

Derek made a disgusted face as he closed the door.

"So, you still haven't resolved your problem," Braeden stated with exasperation.

"Do you remember that time I nearly sucked out his heart because I don't have one? Well, I do. Vividly so," Derek said darkly, still standing at the door.

"He doesn't blame you. You do know that, right?" She looked at him pointedly. His face darkened considerably. "I blame myself even if he doesn't."

"At least you acknowledge there's something between you two. What with your passive-aggressive baking and Peter's grouchy remarks about his idiot of a nephew." Braeden leaned back on the sofa and surveyed her surroundings like she didn't just make the most profound observation about Derek Hale, Grump Extraordinaire.

Well, it wasn't profound observation. Try as hard as he might, Derek can't completely mask his longing stares and outright staring when it comes to one Stiles Stilinski. And everybody knows except the said object of affection, which is ironic considering the boy was supposed to be as sharp as a bloodhound with a scent and he views information and secrets like the only thing that would sustain him.

"Any plans to ask him out?" Braeden riffled through her duffel.

Derek harrumphed as he made his way to the kitchen. Not that he could hide all that much, open floor plan and everything. 

"I'm thinking about something," he admitted hesitantly.

Braeden made a whooping sound right where she sat.

And Derek proceeds to regret every life decision he made so far.

↬

"You're not supposed to mope about my brother at the freaking kitchen he works in," Laura grouched as Stiles beat aggressively at the batter that's probably unusable by now.

"Who says I'm moping about your brother?" Stiles retorted half-heartedly and stopped beating the abused batter.

"Aliens from outer space would have been privy to your most private thoughts about my brother." She didn't look up from balancing the checkbook.

Stiles snorts. "Ugh, how do I get over this stupid crush? It's worse than before compared to Lydia..." he pouted morosely into the batter.

"You two are entirely hopeless when it comes to anything regarding feelings," Laura commented not unkindly.

"You're - How are you and Braeden?" Stiles changed tack mid-sentence.

"We're good. Better than good, even. I, for a fact, know that she's planning a grand gesture in the very distant future. You, on the other hand," she taps her pen on her bottom lip in thought. "Well, you'll grow old and die alone as long as you don't man up and make a move."

"Well, I'm kinda waiting for your thick-headed brother to make a move actually. The ball is in his court this time around, anyway." Stiles muttered unhappily. Laura made an over the top shocking gasping noise. "Why didn't I know about this? How could I not even have heard a peep of this?!"

"We are very private people," he said seriously. And really, he's not even joking.

↬

And so, the mad dash begins. The pack are conceiving plans to help their assumed oblivious friends while Derek and Stiles are respectively trying to work up the courage or work out a plan to... take the next step. So to speak. 

As one would expect, it leads to some... well, disastrous results.

↬

The bakery is in full rush hour at eleven o'clock in the morning, almost lunchtime for everyone but still early enough to buy brunch to curb the hunger. 

Derek is always working at the bakery, and so is Laura. The only person who doesn't help out is Peter, not that he couldn't cook or bake to save his life but more to the fact that no one wants to put up with the constant "chatter" that comes out of his mouth. The rest of the pack, which consists of Scott, Kira, Boyd, Isaac, Erica, Lydia, Danny, Jackson and Stiles, they work part-time or full-time at the bakery. Laura says it's good bonding time, but really, who was she trying to kid?

Lydia and Scott were trying their best to concoct a plan that would put the two (not so) stubborn idiots in a situation to make them talk to each other, whereas Derek has been trying to work up the courage to go up to Stiles and just be... blunt, he's never been anything but passive-aggressively straightforward, anyhow. Stiles, on the other hand, is trying to make himself available time-wise. So far, every single time Lydia and or Scott manages to corner them, aka giving them space or a controlled environment, Derek is very tempted to take the obvious help. But the rest of the pack is observing with shit-eating grins on their face and so he thought better of it. Laura was resolutely staying out of this gay chicken shit, as she so eloquently puts it, but secretly she's having popcorn with Braeden to see what happens next.

So much for a helpful big sister.

Stiles couldn't take it anymore. He sighed long and loud, stared determinedly at Derek's turned back and just strode towards him. 

The pack held their collective gasps as much as they could during the rush hour, simultaneously helping the customers and stealing glances at their quarry.

"Derek," Stiles said his name quietly. He didn't need to say it out loud because of two reasons. One, Derek had always focused on him whenever he's around, be it his heartbeat or his breathing, Derek is attuned to it. (Stiles would say the hyper fixation is super creepy if he wasn't so gone on the grumpy asshole of a wolf.) Two, he knows he's special to Derek. Stiles doesn't know what it is that makes him special yet, but he will soon enough.

Derek didn't turn around to look at him, still busy with packing the baked goods (?) but his body swayed in his direction for a split second with his head tilted. He's listening even if he pretends he doesn't care.

"Uh, so. Valentine's a few days away. Are we making headway or are we still dancing around it like it's a pit of vipers?" Stiles muttered, careful to make his words audible only to the intended recipient. Luck is, however, on his side because the rest of the wolves in the bakery are still newborn bitten wolves, even if it's been a few months since. Lack of desire for training does wonders for Stiles being sneaky.

Derek finally turned around to face him, eyebrows and lips scrunched in a way that Stiles has long since interpreted as the exasperated 'What the hell are you going on about?' look. He couldn't backpedal fast enough to save his tattered dignity. "I mean, okay then. We'll be friends forever then. There's nothing bad about it. Having you as a friend is better than not having you at all, so if we can just forget this ever happened-"

"Stiles." 

"Uh, yeah?" Stiles asked hesitantly.

"Can we meet in the preserve and continue this conversation? There are too many ears here." Derek pointedly did not look at any of the wolves that surround the bakery.

Stiles took a deep breath. "Uh yeah, sure. No problem."

"You better be there instead of letting your brain run wild with an idea that's most likely untrue," Derek pointed his patented glare at Stiles. "I will hunt you down." Stiles shivered at the threat. Nobody should make a threat sound sexy. Like, seriously. On the other hand, he can concede that he does have a tendency to let his insecurities and doubts get the better of him but, have you seen Lydia Martin and Derek Hale? Anybody's self-esteem would plunge down an abyss and Stiles has been here before, once burnt and twice shy and all that shit. Rejection hurts no matter the better outcome that you got out of it. Lydia Martin as the best friend and sister he never had but wished he did is awesome but Derek is different. Derek is so different that he's probably not on the same planet, in Stiles's honest opinion. 

Derek is still looking at him, the glare softened a little, eyebrows raised up saying 'Are we clear?'.

"Crystal." Stiles nodded like his head was a bobblehead. "I will be there and I assure you that you won't need to hunt me down to get to the bottom of this." His voice cracked embarrassingly at the word.

Derek smirked like a cat with cream.

"Shut up, asshole." Stiles gave his own glare as he turned around to make his way out of the bakery. He ignored the questioning looks from the pack.

Stiles hurried home. He has a possible date to get to. Or just plain ole revelation. Derek is taking a break at one in the afternoon. Stiles only has so much time to ponder how this will end because he's about to get his long-awaited resolution. A few months late, but better late than never.

[heyyyharry]

My Girl Series: Chapter 7 - Birthday Blues

…in which Harry tries to make it up to Y/N for all the birthdays he has missed.

Series description: Y/N falls in love with the older boy next door who doesn’t feel the same, years later they meet again at a funeral.

AU: actor!harry, older!harry, younger!y/n; (4-year age gap)

Chapter 6: This Time - Y/N needs a wedding date, and this time Harry’s not giving up.

wattpad link

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After Harry had left Holmes Chapel, every spark of joy in Y/N's life slowly died out with the part of him inside of her. The day she turned fifteen was also the first time she'd spent a birthday alone. Celine was abroad for a three-month exchange program. Her grandma, who lived in Brighton had just passed away, so both of her parents had to go there for the funeral. Since she refused to come along, they left her home with her mother's younger sister, aunt Lynn, who was only twenty-two at the time and didn't even bother to remember her name.

"Sweet baby, do not tell your parents that I invite some friends over, okay? Your mum is gonna be so mad," the young woman said, holding Y/N by the shoulders and the teenage girl could only pay attention to the sound of her aunt chewing bubble gum. For some reasons, Lynn always had something in her mouth. If she wasn't chewing gum, she had to make sure her mouth was kept busy by eating something, or someone. Y/N had met her three times before but each time she was snogging a different guy. Sadly she was the only option for a 'babysitter', just because Y/N's parents didn't believe their fifteen-year-old daughter was capable of staying home alone.

"But today is—"

"Shit!" The woman exclaimed, holding her head. "You're right! It's Friday night, I should throw a party. Play with your dolls, baby. Your aunt has adult stuff to take care of."

"My dolls?" Y/N muttered under her breath as the bedroom door was slammed shut in front of her eyes. Putting on her favorite song and turning off all the lights, she lied down, staring at the spinning fan above her head.

All the kids her age probably spent their fifteenth getting drunk and making out with their crushes, or losing their virginity without their parents knowing. But there she was, locked in her room while her aunt was having all the fun she was supposed to have. For the first time in her life, she found herself alone. She'd always been a loner, yet she had never actually felt it until that night. She stayed utter still in silence, holding Thumper close to her chest. The stuffed animal could probably hear every sound of her heart cracking open. Her mother wasn't there to tell her what a woman she'd become, nor was Harry to sing her the birthday song. It was just her, alone in the dark, with a purple bunny that still smelt just like him.

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Celine always said that working in the library was the worst decision Y/N had ever made, because there was no job more boring than organizing dusty old books. But the thing was, Y/N loved her boring job. She mainly got paid for sorting and shelving books according to their categorization, which wasn't really hard work, not to mention that Ms. Florence, the librarian, was really easy-going. Y/N got to spend most of her time in the fiction section, avoiding her responsibilities to read and write as much as she wanted. Besides, she really liked her co-worker, whose name was Alice.

Alice was a year younger than Y/N. She liked to talk and Y/N liked to listen, so they were pretty compatible. Finding a drinking buddy in university was easy, Y/N had plenty of them; the hard part was finding a buddy you could trust. So even though Alice wasn't what Y/N would consider a close friend, she could be someone to count on.

"Why is it that every time I see you, you're reading something?"

Alice's voice pulled Y/N's attention away from the novel on her lap, as she looked up and found the tiny brunette smiling at her. Y/N leaned back against the bookshelf, crossing her legs so there was room on the floor for Alice to sit down as well.

"I have a surprise for you, big sis!" Alice said, making Y/N roll her eyes and chuckle.

"You've found another porn book, haven't ya?"

"No! An actual surprise!" The younger girl giggled, then finally showed Y/N what she'd been hiding behind her back. "Ta-da! Two tickets to see Heathers!"

"Heathers The Musical?" Y/N dropped her jaw when the other girl nodded. "I love Heathers!"

"I bet you do! You seem like someone who enjoys dark comedy with tragic endings."

Alice's comment made her laugh, but she couldn't say it wasn't true. Her life itself was already a dark comedy.

"Are you giving me these for free?" She asked, pointing to the tickets and Alice's lips curved into a smile as she nodded fast in response.

"I bought these to go with a friend next week, but we're both gonna be busy that night. So just consider this as my temporary birthday gift to you. I'll buy you something else tomorrow."

"How do you know today's my birthday?" Y/N's eyes went round as her mouth fell open, yet the grin on the other girl's face only expanded.

"I was cleaning Ms. Florence's desk this morning when I found your CV. I didn't have time to actually get you something so—"

"Alice..."

"I know you hate birthdays, but please accept these tickets or else I'll die!"

Y/N rolled her eyes, chuckling a bit at how dramatic that sounded, but eventually, she accepted the birthday gift from her co-worker, and thanked the girl for being so thoughtful. "By the way, there's really no need to get me something else," she said, making Alice snort.

"Don't be silly! You're getting a proper birthday gift from me." Alice barely stood up when she flopped onto the floor again. "Oh, and one more thing! Do you wanna go out tonight? I know this pub that's—"

"No, thanks. I've got a lot of work to do tonight."

"But it's your birthday!"

Y/N gave the girl a shrug, lifting a corner of her mouth as she replied, "I never celebrate it."

"Boo, you suck!" Like a child, Alice blew up her cheeks, eyebrows knitted together. "But if you change your mind, ring me up, big sis!"

Y/N tried to contain her laughter as she watched Alice hop away and almost fall head first when she tripped over a stool. It was only when her clumsy co-worker had gone out of sight that Y/N finally checked her watch and realized her shift was just over. She rose from the floor to place the book back on the shelf, then put the tickets into her bag before heading out. Usually, she would always be the last person to leave, but since it was her birthday, she still wanted to do something special for herself, even if it was something as simple as going home before Ms. Florence.

Instead of taking the bus, that day Y/N decided to walk home. For the first time in two years living in that city, the girl finally paid attention to what was going on around her; it was also the first time she had realized how boring London had always been. The grey color of concrete dominated the entire city; it was hard to spot a hint of green anywhere, unlike Holmes Chapel, her home.

Y/N missed that place so much, now more than ever.

She missed the meadows behind her house at springtime, when all the wildflowers added vibrant colors to the fading green. She missed the tall pine trees surrounding a field full of white poppies. She used to run across that field, imagining herself in the opening scene of The Sound of Music, and she could still hear Harry's voice calling out "Bambi, wait for me!" as he tried to catch up with her.

He was the green that she missed the most.

The sound of her ringtone cut right through that thought, causing the vivid images before her eyes to fade back to monochrome. His name showed up on the screen, as if he knew she had been thinking about him.

"Hello?" She answered, standing close to the wall on her right so she wouldn't get in the way of the other pedestrians.

"Are you on the way home?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I'm just a few blocks away. Why?"

"I'm coming over."

She snorted, pursing her dry lips. "I'm busy tonight, remember? Birthday dinner with Isaac?" That lie was as smooth as melting butter coming from her mouth, yet her insides were heating up and her hands started to shake. She was glad he couldn't see the way she shut her eyes and pressed her lips into a firm line after lying to him.

"I'll see you in five."

"Wait, I said—" Y/N began, yet couldn't finish. Harry had already hung up on her.

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The sun was sinking fast now, turning the sky to grey tinged with purple and pink. Harry was already waiting by his car outside the building when Y/N returned, standing with his back facing the ruby-red skyline. With golden-rays casting down upon him, Y/N thought Harry glowed even brighter than the sun itself. But of course, he didn't have to know.

"Happy birthday." His voice was husky and deep as he handed her a white poppy. "Just like the ones back home," he said, and the reluctance from her expression made him feel the need to add, "I didn't buy it. I stole it from a flower shop on the way here."

Y/N didn't know if that was true, but his slop-sided grin made her doubt every single one of his words.

"Headline: Harry Styles stole a flower for a mystery girl!" She said, swiping her hand across the air like she was presenting the idea to him, which only made the beam on his face grow twice as big as he pointed to his car. "Get in, kid," he told her. "Before what you said become reality."

"Where are we going?" She asked in hesitation.

"To your birthday party."

"My birthday party?! But I'm—"

"I'm sure we've got a lot of time before Isaac returns from Italy to take you to dinner."

That one sentence got Y/N tongue-tied. The girl couldn't make a single sound, instead, she was gawking at him like a fool. What did she expect though? He would find out sooner or later because he was still friends with Isaac. So all she could do at that moment was try to come up with an explanation, in case he asked her to tell him why she'd lied. However, he didn't ask her anything. Harry flashed a smile as he walked back to his car and told her to come along. But Y/N refused. She couldn't just follow him blindly without knowing exactly where they were going.

"You're not taking me to a fancy restaurant, are you?"

"Bambi, the last thing I want is for the paps to eat you alive." Harry chuckled and opened the car door for the girl. "Don't worry, kid. It's just gonna be the two of us."

.

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The loud music and laughter from downstairs made it almost impossible for Y/N to even hear the voice inside her head. The birthday blues made it hard for her to stay awake, yet she couldn't sleep either, and there was no way she could talk her aunt into ending the party. Lynn was probably drunk off her ass right now, so Y/N knew the only place for her to be alone with her depressing thoughts was the treehouse. She hadn't gone back there since the night she last saw Harry, but she guessed it had become such a big part of her that she couldn't stay away no matter how much she'd tried.

Still in her pajamas, the fifteen-year-old climbed the rope ladder to get to her childhood spot. The floor was still wet from the rain yesterday, so she leaned against the doorway and stood there to ponder on her own. However, it didn't take her more than three minutes to burst into tears.

Y/N hated crying, it was physically and emotionally painful to cry, and when it was over, what was left was just...nothing. Emptiness. Nevertheless, crying was how Y/N understood herself best. When she cried, she knew who she was. And she had always thought, just like a heartbreak, though crying left her feeling empty when it was over, she would still sigh in relief, because, at least, she knew it was the end.

"Y/N!"

When she heard that voice, the girl stepped closer to the edge of the treehouse and looked down at her neighbor's garden, where she found Harry's big sister with one hand behind her back and the other waving in the air. Y/N quickly wiped away the remaining tears on her cheeks, feeling thankful because if Gemma had come earlier, she might have already seen Y/N bawling her eyes out.

"Gemma! When did you get back?"

"Just a couple days ago. I'm home for two weeks to work on my thesis." The other Styles chuckled. "Glad I found you out here, I was just about to come over."

"To see me?" Y/N lifted both eyebrows, pointing to herself and receiving a nod from her neighbor.

"Yeah, come down here. I have something for you."

The teenage girl hesitated a bit because she couldn't figure out why Gemma wanted to see her and had something for her. Even though she used to hang out with Harry, she was never that close to his older sister. But she climbed down anyway, curious to know what Gemma had behind her back.

"Happy birthday," said the 23-year-old as she handed Y/N the birthday gift she'd been hiding that whole time.

A snow globe.

It didn't have a snowman and a Christmas tree like the ones you normally found in souvenir shops. The one Gemma gave her had colorful glitter inside instead of fake snow; and it was a miniature London, with tiny versions of Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Tower Bridge.

But all Y/N could see, was a person.

"You remember my birthday?" The younger girl asked quietly as she received the gift from her lovely neighbor, who was smiling from ear to ear.

"Of course," Gemma said. "I came to your birthday party every year. But I guess you don't like them anymore, huh?"

"Yeah..." Y/N faked a laugh, hoping her awkward eye-roll didn't give away the fact that she was just lonely.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I must get back to work now."

"Sure. Thanks for the nice gift," said Y/N. "Where did you get it by the way?"

"Bought it when I was in London last week."

Y/N didn't say anything else and just watched the older girl walk back to her house. Of course, she wanted to ask Gemma about Harry, but it was so sad to even think about him right now. His sister remembered her birthday and even got her a present, yet she hadn't heard a single word from him since the day he left. He was supposed to be her friend, or was it just another thing she had fooled herself into believing?

Holding the little London between her palms, she thought that maybe it was time to let go of the London inside her heart.

.

.

.

"Don't peek!"

"I'm not peeking!"

Y/N giggled, holding the hand that was covering her eyes as Harry carefully led her up the stairs, giving her directions so she wouldn't trip and cause them both to fall over. She extended her arms once they had reached the top, feeling the cold metal surface in front of them. The creaking sound caused her to flinch, so Harry quickly reassured the girl that it was just him opening the door. She could feel his other hand reaching around her waist to pull the handle, and a cold breeze blew right through her thin shirt. Y/N immediately took a step backward and bumped into Harry's firm chest. She felt the pressure of his fingertips on her hip as he gently pushed her forward, for the third time that night, telling her to trust him.

"If I didn't trust you I wouldn't have walked up all these floors with my eyes closed." She giggled, and his soft laughter sent shivers down her spine.

"Sit," he ordered, holding the girl by the arms to guide her into a chair; and when she was finally seated, Harry leaned in so his lips were close to her ear as he whispered, "open your eyes."

Y/N did what she was told.

Slowly, she opened her eyes.

The girl had begun to envision her surroundings ever since the cool air hit her skin for the first time as she stepped out, yet what she saw was far from her imagination.

They were sitting on a rooftop of a tall building somewhere in London. From her spot, Y/N could see the entire city spread below, tiny vehicles rushing along tangled roads. The city lights looked like stars dropping to the Earth, making her feel as if they were being squeezed between two galaxies. There were no words magical enough to describe what she was seeing, so Y/N didn't say anything, and just took in a deep breath to let it go with the biggest smile on her face.

It was windy on the roof, so Harry took off his coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. They sat side by side on two wooden chairs, staring at the city and the sky above, completely mesmerized by such beauty, which had completely changed Y/N's opinion about London. Maybe from a different and higher view, it wasn't plain and dull after all.

"Almost like Holmes Chapel, huh?" She heard him speak and turned to look at him. Harry was gazing up with a beam on his face as he pointed to the sky, and told her the names of the stars he knew, not aware that she wasn't really listening. She was too busy looking at him, and thinking, maybe somewhere underneath that man was still the little boy she used to know.

"Oh, I forgot!" He suddenly flinched and turned to pick up the box at his feet. "I made this for you. But...the rest of the batch...already ended up in the trash bin."

He opened the box and revealed one single cupcake with a candle on top. It didn't look terrible, still, it wasn't a very pretty cupcake either. But if that was the best out of the whole batch, Y/N couldn't help but snort as she tried to imagine what the other ones looked like.

"Hey, don't laugh at me! At least I tried!"

"Okay, okay." Y/N bit her lip to hold back a smile. She didn't know why it was so endearing that he'd exerted himself to make her one cupcake. Even if he'd got it from a store instead, she would still be overjoyed.

"Can I eat it now?" She asked, but he quickly shook his head no.

"You have to make a wish first."

Y/N giggled, eyes bored into Harry as he looked around to find something else. "Shit!" His jaw went slack. "The lighter! I forgot the lighter."

"Relax, lemme check," Y/N mumbled, reaching inside the inner pocket of his coat to search for the object, and she felt something like a little triangle box, assuming it was the lighter. But when she took it out, both of them froze as they saw what it really was.

A pack of cigarettes.

Y/N's mouth fell open, she was speechless, and so was he. "Harry..." Her voice was quiet when she looked at him. "Do you smoke?"

"No." He shook his head fast. "N-Not anymore."

"Really?"

"Why would I lie?" A blush crept up his face as he made eye-contact with her. "If I still smoked, I would have a lighter with me, right?"

That sounded like a good enough reason for her to believe him. Moreover, he didn't smell like someone who smoked, and she'd never seen him with a cigarette between his fingers before. So apparently he was telling the truth. Y/N inhaled deeply as she nodded, squeezing his hand for more assurance.

"Smoking could kill you. So don't...don't go back to it..." The way she could barely maintain eye contact while saying that to him made his heart flutter somehow. He took her other hand, linking their fingers together as he asked, "are you worried about me?"

"Of course I am," she said without pause. "I can't bear the thought of losing you."

The corners of her mouth turned down and her whole face contorted so he knew she was serious when she said those words. After all this time, he still mattered to her; and knowing that was like getting a heavy weight lifted off his chest.

.

.

.

Harry sank into his chair, holding the mini calendar above his face. "It's already April," he mumbled to himself, but his roommate Isaac assumed Harry was talking to him, so he replied, "yeah, almost time for finals."

It wasn't finals that came to Harry's mind when he thought about April, it was a birthday actually. He rarely remembered birthdays, and sometimes he forgot his own; but for some reasons, he always remembered hers. He hadn't spoken to Y/N since the night he left, and he could never forget the way she looked at him when she asked him to kiss her. It was awkward, yet it was sad. She truly cared about him, and he could never repay the same kind of feelings because she was too young. So he didn't know how to talk to her again after everything she'd confessed. The last thing he wanted was to lead her on and lull her into believing that one day he might feel the same. He knew he could never like her back the way she wanted him to.

However, it would be a lie to say he didn't miss her. He missed her a lot. How could he forget about his little Bambi? She was the only girl he'd spent the best years of his childhood protecting and looking after. She was something more than just the girl next door, and he kept the image on her face on the treehouse that night in his memory as he left Holmes Chapel with no intention of coming back. Every time he thought about her, a part of him wanted to pay her a visit, but he was glad he didn't change his mind. But now her birthday was coming close, and he knew she wanted him to be there with her. He wanted to be there with her. But he couldn't.

"Isaac," Harry broke the silence in the dorm room, turning his head to look at his best friend who was lying on the bed. "What should I give a fifteen-year-old girl for her birthday?"

The sudden question made Isaac lift an eyebrow. "I thought you only had a big sister?"

"Uhm...it's actually for my...my...cousin."

"Well, I'm bad at this stuff. Why don't you ask Niall?"

Harry rolled his eyes and scoffed. "He would just give me crazy ideas."

"Then ask the birthday girl herself." Isaac shrugged, sticking out his bottom lip. "I mean, try to be subtle and find out what she likes without giving away the fact that you don't know what to get her."

If only it was that easy. Harry shook his head and put the calendar back down. He used to be the one who knew about her more than anyone else, probably only second to her mother, he should be able to know what she liked, but right now he didn't. He knew nothing about her anymore. It was only then that he started to feel bad for all the time he didn't spend with her. But had he not kept his distance, their goodbye would've been much harder.

So he tried to think, swirling the pencil in his hand for a couple seconds. And finally, an idea came to his mind. Maybe there could be a way for him to come back to her after all.

.

.

.

For the rest of the night, Harry and Y/N sat in their chairs, eating pizza for dinner while discussing irrelevant topics like the existence of aliens, strange kinds of flowers, as well as their favorite movies, songs, and books. Soon both grew tired so they fell back to silence. He was staring at the city, and she was taking in the sight of him.

"Are you mad that I lied to you?" Her sudden question made him turn around with an eyebrow raised. "You know, about Isaac."

"I'm not mad at you, kid. But I'd like to know what happened..." Harry couldn't say he had heard most of the story from Niall because he wanted Y/N to tell him herself, if she trusted him enough, and of course, he didn't expect her to. But somehow she did. She ended up telling him everything.

"I didn't want Isaac to turn down the job offer for a relationship that would probably never work." She sighed with her chin on her knuckles, hooded eyes staring blankly ahead. "I liked him a lot. And I thought to myself that if he asked me to be his girlfriend, I would say yes immediately. But when it happened, I got scared. I couldn't let him in because I was afraid that if he knew too much about me, he wouldn't like me anymore. I guess I'm just not ready to fall in love again, and I don't want him to wait for me to be ready. My first and only relationship didn't end very well. So I didn't have the heart to let the same thing happen to us." Holding her breath, she said, "He's too good for me anyway. I'm better off alone."

"Nobody is better off alone," Harry spoke at last, a line appeared between his brows. "Everyone needs someone."

"Not me." She shrugged, and the look in her eyes broke his heart in a million pieces. "I'm sorry I had to lie to you...I didn't want you to do anything for my birthday. I've troubled you enough already."

"But you're not troubling me, love. I did all of this because I wanted to. I...I care about you."

She couldn't remember the last time she heard him say those words, or if he'd ever said them at all. So to hear them now made her feel happy and sad at the same time. If there was one thing that she'd learned from their 'relationship' it would be, Harry's words weren't always credible.

"How did you find this place though?" She changed the subject, putting on a smile to lighten up the mood, which had gotten a bit blue since Isaac was mentioned. She could see it from the look on his face that he was also glad she'd brought up something else.

"Niall's uncle owns this building. They're doing some reconstructing so it's closed for a couple months. It might be the only place we could be together without people bothering us."

"Thank you." Y/N took in a long breath as she smiled. "I've never seen London so beautiful."

"Agreed." Harry nodded fast. In this bad lighting, his dimples seemed even deeper than they actually were. "But my favorite is the winter time. The city looks best when it's covered in snow."

Those last words made Y/N's head turn as her eyes went round.

"It was you, wasn't it?" she cried out, causing the man to jump in shock. He was meant to ask, but she didn't even let him have his chance. "The snow globe! You asked Gemma to give it to me, did you?!"

"Ouch!" He yelped when she smacked him hard on the arm. The girl didn't look very sorry when he rubbed the sore spot and his brows drew together in utter perplexity.

"Why did you ask her to lie for you?! I was so sad, I thought you didn't remember my birthday!"

"I thought it was for the best if you forgot about me, after..."

There was a pause, a gap for her to fill in.

"Our first kiss...I know," she mumbled at last.

It was weird to talk about it now, since both of them had been pretending like the kiss she'd stolen from him when she was fourteen had never happened. After all, she was fourteen at the time, he couldn't blame her for acting so impulsive. But recently he'd been thinking about it and wondering if her feelings back then had been all true.

Her eyes darted as she whispered under her breath, but still loud enough for him to hear, "why didn't you send me anything on my birthday next year or the ones after that?"

"I...I wanted to...I almost did." He swallowed hard while fidgeting in his seat. "But Gemma said you were seeing this boy, so I thought I should stay away from your life and let you forget about me for good. Then time passed and I actually didn't think a lot about you, until..."

She nodded without waiting for him to finish, her lashes fluttered as sadness overtook her face. After a moment of thinking, she asked, "if you could turn back time, would you come back to see me?"

"Yes," he answered. "Without a second thought."

Y/N had seen Harry in a lot of different situations, yet she'd never seen him like that, all flustered and ill at ease. She loved the way the rings on his fingers sparkled as he was nervously toying with the hem of his shirt. She loved it when even under the dim lights surrounding them, she could see a blush creep up his face. She knew better, that it was never good when she felt so drawn to him, yet she couldn't stop, so she released a slight laugh, which got his attention.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked.

Shaking her head with the grin still remained, she said, "nothing."

.

.

.

As he walked with her five floors up to her flat, Harry struggled to find something to say so the silence carried on until they reached her front door. He couldn't explain why he was at a loss for words every time he stood in front of her. He knew her well, he'd grown up with this girl. But deep down inside he knew it wasn't like that, not anymore. He knew his heart had more to say about her than it should, and the way it began to race whenever she was around had him frustrated most of the times.

He watched her unlock her front door and turn to say goodbye. But just when she was about to leave, he stopped her by taking her hand. It wasn't the first time they'd held hands, still, he let hers go after about two seconds like it was hot coal burning his skin. Maybe it was, maybe she was, yet he couldn't stay away because he enjoyed the burn. With round Bambi eyes, she stared at him, slightly puzzled by his strange behaviors. Harry asked her to wait. He searched in his pants pocket, finally pulling out a silver locket necklace.

"Your birthday present."

"Harry—"

He shushed her right away, telling her to turn around as he took a step closer to put the chain around her neck. His fingers brushed against her collarbone only once, but it was enough for both of them to flinch at the contact. Y/N gently touched the heart-shaped locket now lying on her chest, then opened it to find a tiny photo of her mother.

"So you could always keep her by your heart," he whispered, his voice was low and hot against her ear.

Slowly, Y/N turned around, but Harry didn't pull away so they were just one step away from pressing against each other. She meant to just thank him and go inside her flat, but as she parted her lip, not a single sound managed to escape. Her cheeks turned pink, her bottom lip was quivering as she batted her lashes. She had never looked into his eyes for that long, and the look he was giving her made her pupils dilated. It was the same look she'd seen him give that blonde haired girl on the treehouse when he was seventeen. He had never looked at Y/N that way before, and now he did. If only she could read his mind, she would know he was also trying to do the same.

Harry knew it was wrong, but he couldn't resist. The last time he had the same feeling, he wasn't thinking straight so he went for it by instinct. Now he knew exactly what was happening, and still, he didn't stop it. He leaned in a little closer, their foreheads touching. He expected her to pull away or even slap him for making that bold move, yet she stayed exactly where she was, chest heaving with anticipation. Her scent was flooding his senses, and the second he finally found the courage to place his hands on her hips, it was she who decided the next move.

Her lips brushed against his. Not innocently, but hot and passionately, he wanted to pull away before he lost control, but like a magnet, she drew him in more and now he was stuck. "Harry," she whispered slowly, making his heart flutter as he clasped his hands on either side of her face.

That kiss wasn't like the first or the second, this time it was an open-mouthed, almost sexual kiss. He pushed her against the door, loving the way her body melted into his as their lips fitted perfectly like they were made for each other. She held his hair and he held her so tight as if he was afraid it wasn't real, and she would disappear the moment he loosened his grip. They broke away after what seemed like ages, and from the look in her eyes, he could tell she expected him to run, just like he had before.

But he didn't. Even if he wanted to, he knew his trembling feet wouldn't let him. She stood with her back against the door, him with one hand on her hip, the other fisted to rest beside her head. He inhaled sharply and she was still trying to steady her breathing. It took almost five seconds for either to open their eyes and look at the other person.

"Goodnight," she mumbled, reaching behind for the doorknob and the next thing he knew, she had fled inside and shut the door right in front of his face. Harry was left standing in the hallway like an idiot, not knowing what to do next. He lifted a fist, about to knock because there were still many things that he wanted to say to her, an apology was one of which. But he thought again and decided that he should probably go.

Harry left the building, stepping out on the street with his head still on the cloud as he kept touching his lips, trying not to smile so big or else people would think he was insane. But maybe he was, because he was too happy to act differently. He got into his car and sat there with both hands on the steering wheel, head tossed back, smiling contently. His whole face was red, but he didn't really mind. He was soaked in the scent of her perfume, and all he could think about was how he could possibly fall asleep with every trace of her lingering on his body.

His phone lit up in the dark, notifying a new text from Bambi which got him to sit up straight at once. His heart could've exploded when he read the first line, if the next one hadn't come on in less than a second.

⌲ Bambi: That kiss was a mistake.

⌲ Bambi: You're gonna have to earn it next time.

⌲ Next time? :)

⌲ Bambi: Don't be smug about it!

⌲ I'm not! But wait, on the scale from 1-10, how great was tonight? (minus the kiss)

⌲ Bambi: 7/10 (including the kiss)

⌲ Heeeeeey!

Sitting at her working desk, chin resting on her palm, Y/N cracked a smile. The birthday surprise, as well as the kiss they'd shared in the hallway,  were definitely 11/10. But she couldn't give it to him that easily. She placed her phone down, leaving his latest message on read as she touched the chain around her neck once again.

The London snow globe was still sitting on her desk, and she hadn't touched it in so long that it was a bit dusty now. She kept it there so it could remind her of the terrible birthday she should already forget, but she didn't want to. It was a way of telling herself that sometimes the people you loved would leave you behind, and that was just a cruel fact of life that one should just accept and carry on. But now that she knew it wasn't all true, the way she felt about the snow globe had also changed.

Quickly, she typed down 'Thank you for the locket' and sent it to him, then while waiting for him to reply, she sent another text right after.

⌲ I have two tickets to see Heathers The Musical

⌲ H: Yes.

⌲ I haven't even asked?

⌲ H: Whatever you're gonna ask, it's a yes.

⌲ Have you even watched Heathers?

⌲ H: There's always Google! Send me the date and time, my assistant will get back to you shortly.

⌲ Haha funny.

Y/N rolled her eyes and giggled as she snapped a quick shot of the tickets Alice had given her and sent it to him.

⌲ H: Wednesday night! I'm free!

⌲ You sure there's not another award show that night? I'm gonna kill you if you skip another one for me.

⌲ H: Nah I'm not supposed to attend any event next week. If you don't believe me, google it!

⌲ Oh God.

⌲ H: Say that instead of my name 'next time'.

Y/N's face turned scarlet when she read that line. She sucked in her bottom lip, face-palming herself with her eyes shut and wishing she hadn't moaned his name into the kiss. That couldn't have been more embarrassing. She typed down a few words, trying to come up with a reply that would save herself from the humiliation, yet she kept typing and deleting for three times or so. Then came two new messages from him.

⌲ H: It's late. Go to sleep Bambi. Good night.

⌲ H: Once again, happy birthday! :)

The twenty-year-old smiled to herself as she sent him back a goodnight text. Y/N knew she should get to bed now if she wanted to wake up early for a class in the morning. But she also knew it would take forever for her to fall asleep. This time, fortunately, it wasn't gonna be the birthday blues that kept her up all night.

[the-sweetest-dragon]

Things Can Only Get Better - Chapter Two

Fandom: Teen Wolf

Pairing: Stiles Stilinksi x OC (Evangeline Monroe)

Word Count: 12k (I went buckwild)

Warnings: kidnapping, allusions to abuse, allusions to trauma, anxiety, Stiles being an idiot, blood, wounds, injuries 

AN:  I am still on my bullshit with this fandom and I don’t know when it will end.  This is based on the last few episodes of season one with my own little spin on it

Tags: @nerdsarebetter​ @audder17​ (READ MY STUFF YOU COWARD)

chapter one

________________________________________________

“If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf.” - Nikita Khrushchev

The months after the party went by quickly.  Not much happened.  Well, a lot happened but just not to me.  Everything had been quickly going downhill; Lydia, Stiles, Allison, Jackson, and Scott had gotten trapped in the school one night while the alpha roamed around and killed the janitor.  Which had been one of many murders that had happened since we had been turned.  A bus driver had been found, not quite dead but then later passed in the hospital.  I did my best to stay out of it.  Derek never approached me, thankfully.  They eventually figured out that the alpha was Peter Hale, Derek’s uncle who had been horrifically burned in the fire six years ago.   Which was terrifying to hear, but made since in the overarching scheme of things.  

A few things went down in our social group as well. Allison and Scott broke up mid-semester for reasons unknown to me.  I still sit with Scott and Stiles at lunch most days, mostly just to stay in the loop about what was going on.  Jackson had (somehow) figured out what Scott and I were, but he wasn’t aware I was one too, thankfully.  I could feel the tension between the two boys and ultimately decided it was best if I stayed out of it. 

However, it was when I finally heard all the details of the breakup, that I decided to stop sitting with them at lunch and instead moved to sitting with just Allison.  We were quickly joined by an apologetic Lydia who missed her friends.  I ignored Scott as much as I could, which also meant ignoring Stiles.  That hurt my heart a little, a small crush blossoming in the weeks we had spent together investigating the murders.  

Stiles still texted me updates when he could and we talked in the halls.  We no longer pretend to be dating, or whatever people thought we were doing.  A week after Thanksgiving break, Isaac Lahey asked me to go to the winter formal with him and I, of course, said yes.  No one else was going to ask me and Issac was cute, with curly blonde hair and blue eyes.  He was also on the lacrosse team, though Lydia didn’t recognize the name.  I had said yes before thinking about Stiles, but if I was being honest with myself, I didn’t think he really cared if I went at all.  Which broke my heart a little, but I did my best to ignore it.  He still had a huge crush on Lydia and I didn’t really want to mess around with that. 

I tried to focus on Lydia more.  She and Jackson had broken up not too long after Allison and Scott had split.  Lydia seemed… heartbroken.  Her sadness clung to her like a second skin and nearly made it impossible to sit near her.  No one else seemed to notice, besides me and maybe Stiles, for obvious reasons.  She had really loved Jackson, for whatever reason.  I still don’t like the guy, especially after the shit he pulled trying to get the bite.  He was reckless and didn’t listen to reason, two of my least favorite qualities.  

One day, after a few weeks of refusing to speak to him, Scott stopped me in the hallway.  The stench of desperation surrounded me, making me want to gag.  I glared at him and he held his hands up in surrender.

“I just want to talk,” he said, his brown eyes pleading with me.  At that moment I spotted Isaac’s blonde head over the crowd of people and I hurried towards it, Scott meeting me stride for stride.  “I need you to get Allison’s necklace for me.  We think it may have to do with the murders.”  I stop in my tracks and turn a glare onto him.

“So you want me to steal from one of my best friends?” I practically growl at him.  His eyes go wide, and I try to calm down.  Scott was one of the few people who managed to really get under my skin, and I knew in that moment that my eyes had gone yellow. I collected myself, pushing the anger and panic down.  “I am not stealing from her.  If you want it, why don’t you ask for it?  I won’t be your go between.”  He stops following me and I quickly get to Issac’s side.

“Hey, whats up?” he asks quietly.  I shake my head.  Isaac is shockingly good at reading my emotions, and knowing when I don’t want to talk.  He just nods, and wraps an arm around my shoulders.  We walked to class in relative silence, only catching a few looks in the process.  

Isaac wasn’t the most popular choice in friends, but he was kind.  He had a rather bad home life, so in the few weeks we had been friends, he had been over at my house nearly every night.  Partially to work on homework, but also to just get away.  Mom instantly liked him, and Dad seemed to like him, as much as Dad liked any of my guy friends.  I wasn’t sure if Isaac liked me in a romantic way but nothing with him was ever boring, and it felt… normal.

A week before the formal, Lydia took Allison and I shopping for dresses.  It was her way of apologizing for everything.  Not to mention that Allison is acting weird.  We had figured out her family’s secret, that they were hunters.  Allison didn’t seem to be clued in on that fact, but I had decided that being her friend was more important.  She wouldn’t hurt me.  

We walk into Macy’s, heading towards the escalator.  We had been talking about formal plans, but I tuned them out fairly quickly.  I tune back in when Allison turns towards Lydia with a triumphant smile.

“I’m going with Jackson,” Allison states.  I blink a few times, confused as to why anyone would willingly spend time with that snake.  Lydia’s face twists with shock and I feel a little bad for thinking such things.  “He asked, and I said yes.”  I shrug, not wanting to dig too deep into whatever was happening between them.  Lydia looked almost mad, her face going red with anger.  It was almost comical.  

“Is this payback for making out with Scott?” she asks quietly.  Allison just smiles and shakes her head, infuriating her more.  “And who am I supposed to go with?”  Once her question is asked, a familiar scent hits my nose.  I groan internally.

“Him,” Allison says, pointing towards the scent I had smelled.  Stiles.  He leans to sniff something at the perfume counter and inevitably does something klutzy.  I laugh softly, covering my mouth with my hand to keep the sound to myself.  I turn to see Lydia’s eyes narrow and then turn to me.  She raises an eyebrow in question and I just shrug, knowing that I had no claim on him.  I push down the small, insecure part of me that is screaming to tell her no, it’s not okay.  That pang of jealousy would have to be explored at a later point.

After Allison points him out, Stiles follows Lydia around like a lost puppy, holding her mountain of dresses for her and shooting off sarcastic comments that make me laugh.  His eyes meet mine a few times, as if asking if this was going to be okay.  I nod, refusing to let that feeling overtake me.  We’re friends, I can handle this weird little crush that has been lingering. 

We walk around for what feels like hours, Allison disappearing to take care of her car an hour into shopping.  Lydia decides on a silver dress with a black ribbon around her waist and Allison decides on a ruffled silver number that really compliments her coloring.  They both leaned very heavily on the ‘winter’ part of winter formal with those colors.  I still couldn’t find a dress I liked that fit me well, until Stiles waves me over to a rack a few feet from where I am.

“Evie, come here!  I think I found something,” he says, a big smile on his face.  I hurry over to him, excited to see what he had found.  He pulls out a deep green dress with an iridescent overlay on the skirt and bodice.  It laces up in the back instead of having a zipper and has some boning in the front, to keep it stiff.  I run my fingers over the fabric, a smile creeping its way onto my face.  “Well, what do you think?” he asks, a nervous lilt in his voice.

“I love it.”  He smiles, relieved and I quickly find my size and head towards the changing rooms.  As soon as I slip the dress on, I know it’s the one.  I struggle slightly with tying the ribbons in the back, but mange to get it tight enough that it won’t slip off me.  Stepping in front of the mirror, I admire how it looks on me.  The green makes my hair look more red, and compliments my dark eyes.  I twirl, watching the skirt spin with me.  It gives me fairy vibes and I’m absolutely in love with it.

I step out into the main area where everyone is waiting.  Lydia insists on seeing all the dresses, to help us pick I guess.  I hear a soft gasp when I walk out, and my eyes immediately go to Lydia, who has a grin on her face and a look of approval shining through.  Allison is smiling, her dimples really coming through from the strength of it.  Stiles’ eyes went wide when he sees me, an odd look coming onto his face.

“Wow!  You look great!” he says.  “Not that you don’t always look great!  This is just… wow.” I laugh, a blush heating up my face.  I ignore the butterflies in my stomach, trying to squish them before there’s a whole horde of them in there.  

“Well, you picked it out.  You have a good eye, for a guy,” I say with a grin.  “So, this is a yes, right?  Please let it be a yes, I don’t think I can handle anymore dress-trying-on.”  Lydia laughs, the first I had heard in a long time.

“Yeah, that’s a definite yes.  Isaac won’t know what hit him.”  At the mention of Isaac, Stiles’ light eyes go dark with what I assume is jealousy, which makes my heart do flips.  Maybe he does like me the way I like him.  He hurries away, mostly to help Lydia put all the no’s on the return rack, but I can hear his heart beating faster than usual.  Stiles avoids me the rest of the night, and I try not to worry about it, though his actions make me nervous. 

We go out for a quick bite after we buy our dresses, Lydia insisting to buy both Allison and I’s.  I argue slightly, until I see the price tag and know without a doubt that I don’t have that much money in my bank account.  Us girls discuss hair and makeup ideas, while Stiles does his very best to not look bored.  For his part, Lydia had made sure that he had a tux that would go well with her dress.  I made a mental note to ask Isaac about his tux, though I wasn’t too concerned with matching. As long as it was black and white, it would look fine.

Lydia dropped Allison and I off, Stiles going home on his own.  I hurry up to my room to put my dress in the closet.  I had tried my best to decorate my room in a nice way.  We had painted the walls a nice ivory color, nothing too bright.  One wall was covered in false ivy and had an oversized chair in the corner, next to my bookshelves.  Another wall held my bed, it’s warmth especially inviting after these past few hours of tedious shopping.  The weather had started to turn chilly, though not nearly as cold as it had been in Kansas, which I was grateful for.  My desk was pushed up to the window, so I could see out while doing homework.  Books littered my desk, some for school and others for my own downtime.  

I do my nightly routine, making sure to remove all makeup before heading to bed.  There had been a night about a month ago where I had forgotten and woke up to a perfect imprint of my face on my white pillow.  Needless to say, Mom was not very happy with me for that one.  I slide into my warm bed, a feeling of comfort seeping into my bones.  

I often have dreams, or rather, nightmares.  My brain seems to think that I don’t worry enough while I’m awake, so it creates scenes in my brain to have me react to and become anxious upon waking.  Lately, I have been having the same dream over and over again.  I was in the woods, a gauzy white gown covering my otherwise nude body, as I ran between the trees.  I wasn’t being chased, but I could feel someone following me.  We were laughing in the dream, and at some point it felt like I had been tackled to the ground by this person but nothing hurt.  I could feel them leave soft kisses on my exposed shoulders and I felt so completely comfortable.  It didn’t make sense, and I had no clue who the person was but I found myself searching for them upon waking.  The urge to find them was so strong it was almost painful.  

Tonight is no different.  As I fall asleep, the scent of the woods hits my nose immediately.  The same dress covered my body, and I could almost see the person behind me before we started sprinting through the woods, my speed surprising me.  I turn back to see the person, but they’re far behind me.  I slow down so they can catch up and their scent hits me.  Sweat, but something else, something… manly.  Before I could place the smell, I was being tackled to the ground.  This time though, I was facing the person and I felt a slight pain in my back, making me close my eyes in discomfort.  A hand gently cups my face and his thumb gently caresses my cheek.  I lean into the touch, savoring it before the dream melts away into darkness.  

I wake slowly, wanting to stay in my dream as long as possible to gather any more clues about the person.  The sun hasn’t even rose, and yet here I am, awake.  I sigh, deciding that if I have to be awake, I might as well use the time efficiently.  I take a long, hot shower, trying to get the scent of the man out of my nose.  Everything about him felt so familiar and yet I couldn’t place it.  Closing my eyes, I try to mentally put it in a folder to look at later; focusing on it now would do me no good.  I take a few deep breaths and turn off the water, stepping out into the cool bathroom.  Wrapping a towel around myself, I head back to my room.  I flip on the light and pad to my closet when I hear a soft sound.

I turn slowly, spotting a man sitting in my desk chair.  I freeze, much like a deer caught in headlights as the man stands.

“Hello, Evangeline.” 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

I rub my eyes, yawning as I pull on my jersey.  I hadn’t slept well last night, partially because of this recurring dream that left me feeling exhausted and partially because I didn’t fall asleep until very early in the morning.  My phone buzzes relentlessly in my pocket, the buzzing catching the attention of both Scott and Coach, which is unfortunate for me.

“Stilinski!  If you can’t shut that thing up, I’ll shut it up for you!” he yelled from across the locker room.  I wince and fumble for it, nearly dropping it onto the hard concrete floor.  

“Yes Coach,” I say back, ignoring the call.  I sigh, putting the phone into my gym locker, not bothering to look at who had been calling me.  Scott gives me a funny look before turning back to whatever Coach had been lecturing us about before I had rudely interrupted.  I tuned him out most of the time, and this time was no different.  

It was way too early to be having practice; the sun was barely up, but here we are, cold and running laps.  Practice itself wouldn’t take that long, but it had gotten so cold this past week that no one really wanted to be out on the field.  Everyone was sluggish, even Scott, who still looked like a kicked puppy about Allison going to the formal with Jackson.  I still hadn’t figured out how Allison had talked Lydia into being my date but to say I was excited would have been an understatement.  This was my one chance to show her how great a boyfriend I can be, and I’m not about to give that up.

Practice goes by quickly, the cold settling into our bones within a few minutes.  After showering and dressing, I grab my phone from my locker, noticing that I had four missed calls.  I scroll through the call log, realizing they were all from Evie and she only left one voicemail.  I open it, my foot tapping against the floor, the only sign of my nervousness.

“Stiles, he found me…” a loud bang in the background and a yelp from Evie nearly sets me running.  Her voice is low, barely there.  “I… I don’t know where I am.  It’s so dark… Stiles…”  The voicemail is cut off there and I bring the phone in front of me in shock.  Scott comes up beside me, his jaw set in anger.  He lays a hand on my shoulder and looks at me dead in the eye.

“We’ll find her.”  I nod, the situation still not quite making sense.  He who?  There were several contenders at this point.  It could be Peter, or Derek, or Argent… There were too many people involved for anything to be clear.  I take a deep, calming breath.  “Do you have anything of hers that I can get a scent off of?  Or do we need to raid her house?”  I pause for a moment, trying to remember if she had ever left anything in the Jeep.  I shake my head, coming up empty.

“No, but I think we may be able to get something from her locker.”  Scott gives me a funny look and I explain quickly.  “She never locks it, says that the combination takes too much time.”  He nods and we head towards the hallway.  I nearly walk past it and have to double back after I spot it.  I open it, the pictures inside fluttering at the movement.  Scott takes over from there, grabbing a sweater Evie had left in there.  I refuse to focus too long on her smiling face, knowing that something very easily could have ruined that smiling face forever.

After taking the sweater out, we rush towards the Jeep, nearly crashing into Allison and Lydia in our hurry.  Scott slides to a stop but I keep going, tumbling to the ground.  I hiss at the pain in my knees and Scott helps pick me back up. 

“Woah!  Where are you going?” Allison yells after us.  Neither Scott nor I stop to explain, too busy hurrying towards the Jeep to realize they were going to follow us.  The two exchange a look and rush after us, their heels clicking against the floor.  “Wait up!”  

We made it to the Jeep in record time, me nearly running into the side window, because I was unable to slow down enough to not.  The girls reach us as Scott hops into the car, leaving me to explain our rush to them.  

“We got a call from Evie,” I say quietly.  “She’s being held somewhere, we don’t know where.”  Lydia’s eyes go huge, reminding me of an owl.  Allison sets her jaw, and I can see her decision in her eyes.  She reaches for the door and climbs silently into the car.  I turn to Lydia, awkwardly wrapping an arm around her while quiet tears fall down her face.  “We’re going to find her, okay?  Everything will be ok.”  I move her so we’re looking each other in the eyes, hers shining with anger now instead of tears.

“I want to go with you,” she says.

“Lydia, you need to-” she cuts me short with a curt laugh.

“She is my cousin!  I will not stand by and let anything happen to her!”  I wince at how loud her voice had gone, but the anger in her face makes me sigh.  I reluctantly open the door for her and watch her climb into the back, a satisfied look on her face.  Scott glares at me; I just shrug and get into the car.  Lydia’s eyes narrow, catching sight of the sweater in Scott’s hands.  “Why do you have her sweater?”

Scott and I exchange a look, as nervousness floods my body.  I hadn’t thought about having to explain how we were going to find her.  Scott tries to come up with a reason, but I know that it’ll never curb Lydia’s curiosity.  The girl’s mind was a steel trap; she’d remember anything we told her and use it against us if anything happened out of the ordinary.  

“Evie left it in the front seat one day after school,” I say quickly.  That answer must have made enough sense to her, since she dropped it.  I let out a breath of relief and started to drive.  Scott rolls down his window under the disguise that it’s easier to see with it down.  We drive for a long time, when Scott goes stiff.  “What?  What is it?”

“I… I think I see her.”  I hit the brakes quickly, causing the girls to shout in surprise.  I mumble a sorry but turn my attention to where Scott is looking.  A small, pale figure is moving towards us quickly.  She’s stumbling through the woods, the light making a halo around her head.  “It’s definitely her.” 

At that, we all hurry out of the car and I run towards her.  There’s blood on her forehead, the cut already closing.  Blood slips down her bare body from twin cuts along her ribs, a matching set visible on her thighs as well.  She stumbles a few times when she spots us, trying to hurry while also looking over her shoulder.  Lydia rushes forward, and I avert my eyes, trying not to stare at her nakedness.  

Scott hands Allison the sweater and I dig a pair of athletic shorts out of my gym bag.  Lydia does her best to clean off the blood with an extra shirt she found in the back of the Jeep.  I make a mental note to replace these clothes and get better detergent to get the blood out.  Evie is silent the entire time, only making soft sounds of pain if Lydia pushes too hard on her cuts.  Her entire back is scratched up, a few deep cuts littered here and there.  The sight of her blood makes me nauseous but I do my best to curb the urge to vomit or pass out.  Allison and Lydia help her dress, making Scott and I turn around.  

“We should take her to the hospital,” I say quietly to Scott.  “Her wounds aren’t healing.  They must have put wolfbane on the knives.”  Scott shakes his head.

“Those are definitely from Peter.  A wound from an alpha takes longer to heal,” he says.  I make a face, unsure as to why he assumes that it was Peter.   “He had to have done this, his scent is coating her like a second skin and the Argents don’t even know she exists.”  I sigh, a headache beginning to form.  I look over to the group of girls, watching as they hug, careful of Evie’s cuts and bruises.  Relief washes over me and I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.  She’s okay, she’s here and she’s not dead.  That’s all I could have asked for.  

Evie meets my gaze and gives me a small smile.  I grin back at her, the situation lightening momentarily.  We had found her, she was okay, and we had an idea of who took her.  Then it hit me; we would have to explain this to her parents at some point.  That would not be a fun conversation.  She gestured us over, the smile lingering on her face.  Evie pulls Scott into a hug, making him smile.  He ruffles her hair slightly, getting her to laugh softly.  Then, she turns to me.

“Thank you,” she says, her voice hoarse.  I swallow, worry and relief warring inside me.  She pulls me into a hug, her arms nearly crushing my ribs but I hug back just as fiercely.

“Don’t ever get kidnapped again.”  She laughs, this time a real, full laugh.  I smile, glad to know that this experience hadn’t ruined her spirit completely.  Evie pats my chest after letting me out of her bone crushing hug and steps back into the safety of her friends.

“I’ll do my best not to get kidnapped again,” she says.  

“So, do we need to go to the hospital or would you rather go home?”  I ask.  Her brown eyes go wide at the mention of a hospital and I mentally kick myself.  Of course a hospital would be a bad idea.  Her cuts would be healed in a matter of hours, making any stitches she got useless.

“Of course we’re going to the hospital!  We just found her in the woods, naked and bleeding!” Lydia snaps, making me wince.  Evie faces her cousin, a deep frown on her face.  She points to the fully closed cut on her forehead, where it had been bleeding not two minutes ago.

“There’s no need for a hospital,” she says softly, taking a step towards Lydia and Allison.  Allison, for her part, didn’t back away from Evie, though fear sparked in her eyes.  Scott and I exchange a look, knowing that everything that Allison had been suspecting was now revealed to her.  There were no more secrets left to tell, except maybe Evie’s.  

“I don’t understand,” Allison starts.  “You were bleeding, you had really deep cuts… and now they're just gone?”  Making a so-so gesture with her hands, Evie nods, a look of compassion taking over her face.  Her dark eyes have lost their usual shine and a weight has been placed on her shoulders.  “What does that mean?  What are you?”  Evie glances at Scott, visibly tiring before our eyes.  Scott nods, taking over explaining for Evie.

“Remember when you said that your family was hiding something from you?” A nod from Allison.  “Well, we’re what they’re hiding from you.  Evie and I are werewolves.”  Lydia blinks a few times, then turns her attention to Evie.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks quietly.  Evie rubs her face, smearing blood and dirt across her cheek.  A part of me itches to wipe it off her face, knowing that she would hate looking so filthy.  

“I didn’t want you to worry about me, after everything I’ve put this family through the last thing I wanted to do was give you another reason to worry.”  In that moment my heart breaks for Evie.  I don’t know all the details, but I knew that whatever happened before she left Kansas had to have been bad if she didn’t even trust Lydia with her secrets.  Lydia hugs Evie tight, tears streaming down her pale face.  

“You don’t get to decide what will make me worry and what won’t.  If anything happens to you, I should be the first to know,” she says, making Evie laugh as they broke from their hug.  Allison holds up a hand.

“Hold on.  Everyone is just okay with this?  No one is concerned that there are supernatural beings in this town?”  Everyone looks around, and I shrug.

“Honestly?  I’ve been freaking out for the past three months.  Werewolves are fucking scary man.”  Scott glares at me and Evie raises an eyebrow.  “Current company excluded of course,” I say.  “I’m more worried about the other two, the ones that want Scott, and now Evie, to join their pack.”  Evie nods, a bit of light returning to her eyes.  “Derek isn’t so bad but Peter is absolutely insane.”

“I’m sorry, who?” Lydia asks.  

“Derek and Peter Hale are also werewolves.  Peter is the crazy alpha who has been killing people and attacking us since September.  They want Scott and Evie to join their pack because “we’re stronger together”, but Scott said no and they didn’t know Evie existed until now.  Not sure how they figured out where she was but now we have to be on guard all the time so no one gets kidnapped.”  I let out a breath, winded from so much talking.  

Lydia shakes her head, her strawberry blonde curls bouncing with the movement.  Another thought pops into my mind but before I can voice it, Scott is ushering Evie into the Jeep, Lydia and Allison right behind her.  I look over my shoulder quickly, seeing a dark mass quickly approaching from the woods and get into the Jeep as well, hoping it starts on the first try.  I rev the engine, once, twice, three times before it finally kicks over and we’re barreling down the road towards Evie’s house.  

“He knows where I live!” she reminds me from the backseat.  

“Well, where the hell am I supposed to go?!” I bark back, immediately regretting it when I see her eyes go yellow in the rearview mirror.  “I’m sorry!”  They’re quickly gone, but I know I’ve hurt her feelings.  Scott looks over at me, a confused look on his face.

“Head towards the vet clinic,” he says calmly.  Why is he so calm?  Wish I could be calm with a lunatic wolfman following us.  I nod, turning the car sharply onto the correct road.  

We’re at the vet clinic in record time, though I’m pretty sure that I broke several traffic laws in doing so.  The dark figure is quickly gaining on us.  Scott and I usher the girls inside before entering ourselves, locking the door behind us.  

“Anyone want to tell me why we’re in a vet clinic?” Lydia whispers.  

“The whole building is made of mountain ash,” says a voice from behind us, making both Evie and I jump.

“You can’t just sneak up on us like that!” I whisper yell.  Deaton, Scott’s boss, stands behind the counter, a serious look on his face.  He pushes us behind the counter and into an examination room before locking that door as well.  

We all hide in various spots as we listen to Peter talk to Deaton, or rather threaten him.  Evie, somehow, has ended up pressed into my side, her warmth chasing away any chill that was left over from being outside.  Scott eyes us from the other side of the room, a small frown on his face.  Allison  is pressed against the examination table, Lydia squished in next to her.  We hear the front door slam and we all let out a collective breath.  Evie scoots away from me, and I almost immediately miss her warmth.  It’s freezing in here; Deaton must not have switched over his air conditioning yet.  

“You can all come out now,” Deaton calls out.  I hear the lock turn and pop up, everyone else slowly getting to their feet.  We all make our way out into the main lobby, where Deaton is waiting.  He scans Evie, as if he can see the cuts and bruises her clothing is covering.  “You need some medical attention.  May I see?” he asks.  Evie nods and they step back into the examination room, Lydia joining them after a few moments.  

Scott, Allison, and I wait outside.  I pace around while they have a quiet conversation about whatever it is that they usually talk about, my brain not catching onto any words they’re saying.  After what felt like hours, the trio emerges from the examination room.  Evie looks freshly showered and I briefly entertain that idea of Deaton washing her like a dog in one of the sinks.  She’s small, she’d be able to fit.  

Scott and Allison stand, the latter rushing to help Evie back to the car.  Any energy Evie had before was completely sapped by the time she made it back to the Jeep.  Scott lifts her into the back seat, settling her between Lydia and Allison while I race to the drivers side.  I take her back to her house, leaving Lydia with her.  Allison, Scott, and I all go back to school, the day weighing heavily on our minds.  Allison and Lydia know now, and there was no going back from that.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

I slept for what felt like days, dreamless and deeply.  A warm body is pressed against me the entire time I’m asleep and I can hear soft music coming from somewhere.  I curl into the warmth, still freezing from my jaunt in the woods and being naked in the old Hale house.  I feel fingers rake gently through my hair, detangling it and removing any leftover sticks that my dip into the sink didn’t catch.  I sigh, awake now but not wanting to open my eyes.

“Stiles…” I say softly.  The hand stops and I open an eye to see Lydia sitting beside me, definitely not Stiles.  Refusing to feel embarrassed, I meet her stare.  She rolls her eyes and smiles.

“I knew you had a thing for him.  You should see the way you look at him,” she says with a smirk.  I huff, pulling myself up with a soft groan of pain.  The bruises would last for a few hours, but everything else had basically healed.  I was beyond grateful for Deaton’s help, but I didn’t appreciate being bathed like a dog in the sink.  I mentally put that on my list of top ten most embarrassing moments.  

“I don’t have a thing for him.”  Lydia just smiles, making me sigh.  “Okay, maybe I have a small crush on him.  You can’t say anything to him,” I plead, hands clasped. She taps her chin, making my anxiety levels rise quickly, before smiling.

“I won’t say anything.”  I let out a breath, not realizing that I had been holding one.  “But, you’ll have to tell him eventually.”  I shake my head.

“No, by the time he even has an inkling of it I’ll be over it.  I don’t need a boyfriend.”  Lydia stares at me, searching my face.  Her eyes narrow, a suspicious gleam in the green depths of them.  Suddenly they go wide with a realization.

“You’re afraid,” she says, breathless at the realization.  I hang my head, refusing to make eye contact with her.  

“He deserves better.”  Lydia shakes her head but I continue.  “What happens if I have another anxiety attack like I did last winter?  What if he finds out why I was in the hospital?  I don’t think I can take the look on his face if he were to find out, Lydia.”  She sighs, a soft sound that nearly sets me crying.  I had put my family through so much, I couldn’t do that to another person I cared about.  No one deserved that kind of pain.  

“What happened wasn’t your fault Evie.  Bad things happen to good people, and we have to decide how to react.  I admit that several of us reacted badly in the moment,” she shot a glare towards where I assume my parents may be.  They did not react that well, I will admit, but I hadn’t realized everyone else knew that as well.  “But that has nothing to do with you and everything to do with the quality of our character.”  She studies my face, gently wiping away a tear that had fallen without me noticing.  “You deserve to be happy, Evie.  Especially after everything you’ve been through.”

I curl into her, using the blanket to wipe the remaining tears from my face.  We stay like that for some time, not talking but enjoying each other’s company.  Lydia reads quietly while I doze off, until a loud knock resonates through the house.  I hear Mom saying something, but I chose to not focus too hard on it.  Lydia, however, straightens up, causing my head to fall to the bed.  We watch the door, and I cringe at the sound of multiple pairs of feet coming up the stairs.  

Stiles is the first to burst into my room, out of breath and flannel flying out behind him like a cape.  Scott and Allison are close behind him, though they enter much quieter.  Lydia raises an eyebrow and stands up, stretching slightly.  I turn my focus to Stiles, noticing that he had a rather large bouquet of flowers in his hands.  I feel my cheeks start to burn and I glare at Lydia when I realize that the flowers are daisies, which are my absolute favorites.  She just smiles at me and graciously takes them from Stiles before he can crush them anymore than he already has.  

“Hi, we brought you your homework, well Allison did.  I didn’t realize you were in a modern literature class, when did that become a thing and why didn’t anyone tell me?  You guys are literally reading comic books.”  I blink a few times, trying to keep up with his stream of speech.  He spoke too quickly for my brain to handle.  He smiles widely and gestures as he talks, going on about some comic book he had read a few weeks back.  I tune him out and turn my attention to Scott.

“What’s going on?” I croak, my voice still not a hundred percent after screaming for so long.  Peter did not have an easy time getting me to come with him, which prompted him to give me the wound on my forehead, effectively knocking me out.  Scott and Allison exchange a look and Stiles finally goes quiet.  

“Derek wants to talk to us. Both of us,” Scott says, his voice loud in the silent room.  I narrow my eyes, considering his words.

“I don’t think he is in a position to demand anything from me.  He did not help me today, and any respect or interest I had in this pack Peter is trying to create disappeared the moment he thought he could kidnap me and push me to submit to him.”  I’m so angry I can feel my body shaking.  Pain shoots up in my gums, signalling that I had changed.  Scott raises his hands in surrender, knowing better than to fight me on this.  Stiles comes closer, laying a single hand on my shoulder.  Relief spreads through my body at his touch, making the fangs disappear within seconds.  I don’t miss the look Scott gives me, but chose to ignore the question behind it.  

“I agree with her.  This Peter guy sounds like bad news and, frankly, I don’t like him at all,” Allison states.  I crack a smile at that, happy she agrees with me despite not being included for so long.  Lydia nods in agreement.

“The moment he took my cousin was the moment he was put on my shit list,” Lydia says.  I laugh, a slightly broken sound.  I clear my throat as Stiles gently squeezes my shoulder.  I give him an appreciative smile, which he returns, before letting go of my shoulder.  I miss it immediately but I refuse to let Lydia know how deep this crush goes by looking sad.  

“You know where I stand on this Scott.  And it seems like everyone kinda agrees with me,” he says.  He leans towards us.  “Thanks for that, by the way.”  Scott just shakes his head, not seeming to upset with our verdict.  I smile, glad that he agrees with us.

Everyone crowds onto my bed, Stiles dramatically flopping himself down next to me.  Allison and Scott sit awkwardly on the foot of my bed while Lydia claims the small spot between Stiles and I.  

“So, uh, not that I don’t love having you guys here, but is there a particular reason you’re all on my bed?” I ask, a frown making its way onto my face.  I love my friends but Scott and Stiles smell like four day old gym shorts, and I really don’t want my sheets smelling like that.  

“This is what is called group bonding,” Stiles points out, a grin plastered on his face.  I raise an eyebrow, confused.  “Well, I guess more like pack bonding, since neither you nor Scott want a piece of Peter’s fucked up one.”   I laugh at that, shaking my head slightly.  

“In all seriousness, we do need some sort of plan,” Allison states.  “My family is still keeping things from me and I still haven’t heard the entire story of how all of this happened.”

Scott and I exchange a look, mentally trying to decide who’s better equipped to tell her the whole story.�� I point at Scott and he sighs, knowing that he knows more about the situation than I do.  He starts at the beginning, describing the night we were both bit and what transpired after that.  I input where I think there needs to be more detail, much to Stiles amusement.  

“So, basically a psycho murderer is trying to get you guys to be in his pack while my family actually hunts you?”  We nod our heads.  “And no one thought it was important for us to know this?”  I shrug, knowing that I had wanted to tell both her and Lydia immediately but was shut down by Scott.  He didn’t want to freak her out, but that ship has sailed.  To her credit, she seemed to be handling it very well.  I reach over and grab her hand, giving it a soft squeeze.

“I know this is a lot, but I’m glad you’re here.”  We share a smile, Scott looking confused as usual.  I pat his knee, a slight smile still on my face.  Scott may be cute but his head is totally empty.  No thoughts.  

We hang out for a while, just enjoying each other’s company after a very crazy semester.  Lydia and Allison exchange plans for the dance, Scott complains about not being able to go, Stiles continues on his rant about comic books, and I try to keep up.  We order a pizza and watch a movie, really just being normal for one night.  One by one my friends start to leave, starting with Lydia.  Allison is next to go and then Scott, leaving me and Stiles alone in my room.  He stretches out on my bed, one arm under his head and looking completely at ease.  I give him a confused look, earning me a laugh and the shake of his head.

“We agreed that until Peter is taken care of, we won’t leave you on your own.”  I snort, waving a dismissive hand at him.  “Hey, I can hold my own!”  I outright laugh; the thought of Stiles protecting me from Peter is actually hilarious.  A plan starts forming in the back of my head; I can prove that he can’t beat Peter rather easily.  I stop laughing and put on a serious face.  “What are you doing?” he asks rather loudly.  I tilt my head at the question.  

“I’m not doing anything,” I say innocently.  I stand, going to my dresser to get different clothes, since I had been in the same sweater and gym shorts since arriving home.  I hear Stiles get up to get his homework and that’s when I strike, moving quicker than he could process to pin him to the wall.  My hands barely circle around his wrists but I keep him securely against the wall by using my newly acquired strength, my body pressed against his.  I watch him swallow, a nervous look on his face and he won’t make eye contact with me.  Odd.  I raise an eyebrow. 

“Pinned ya.”  He laughs, some tension leaving his body.  “Honestly though, I don’t think you’d hold up long against Peter.  You can barely hold your own against me, and I’m much smaller.”  I give him a triumphant smile, totally aware of my win.  He takes a deep breath and I’m suddenly aware of how close we are to each other.  

Against my better judgement, I lean in slightly, taking in a lungful of his scent.  He smelled like the woods and gasoline and old books.  His heart beats quickly, almost too quickly for what little activity we had done.  I allow myself to just look at him, my eyes tracing his face and I let myself be amazed by the pattern of moles that litter his face.  I rarely let myself focus too long on his face, afraid of what I may find in his eyes.  Going on my tiptoes, I let go of one wrist to cup his cheek, brushing my thumb against his cheekbone.  Stiles’ eyes close,  a sigh emitting from deep in his chest.   He wraps one arm around me, a half hug that forces me to lower my hand.  I allow him to escape completely from my hold so he can wrap the other arm around me.  

“Evie,” he whispers.  I shake my head, knowing that whatever he’s about to say can wait.  For right now, I just want to be held.  As I lay my head on his chest, the music that had been playing for most of the day switching to something slow.  Stiles starts to sway, in that awkward way boys do when you’re supposed to slow dance.  His chin rests on the top of my head and we stay like that for a long time.  Eventually, the music changes and we pull away, his eyes opening when my hand cups his cheek again.  

I search his expression, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he feels even a kernel of what I feel.  Desperately, I search but come up with nothing.  Stiles’ face gives no inclination that what just happened was meaningful in any way, shape or form.  I pull myself farther away, the beginnings of tears in my eyes.  He reaches for me, but I slip out of his grasp.  Gathering my courage, I put on a happy face when I turn to him. 

“I appreciate the thought, but I think I can take care of myself.”  Stiles frowns, not understanding my change in emotion.

“Are you sure?  I don’t want you to feel unsafe.”  I wave my hand, dismissing his worry with a smile on my face.  On the inside, I’m screaming at him to leave and to never come near me again.  But I can’t do that.  Even though it’s torture, I would much rather have him close to me than to be separated.  

“I’ll be fine.  Don’t worry,” I say with a bright smile.  He nods, packing up his stuff before finally leaving.  I fall onto my bed, desperately trying to keep the tears in.  No boy is worth crying over, I harshly remind myself.  But, a few tears slip from my eyes and once those are free, the rest come rushing out.  Soon, I’m a blubbering, disgusting mess.  The stress from today hits me all at once, dissolving me into more tears until I have no tears left.  

I wipe at my eyes, curling into myself.  I calm myself down enough to call Isaac, my hands shaking as I hit the call button next to his name.  He answers on the fourth ring, sleep coating his voice.

“Hey what’s up?”  I sigh, and he must hear something sad about it since he snaps immediately into action.  “I can be at your house in fifteen, there’s definitely some place still open for a milkshake.  Be ready.”  I laugh softly, already feeling better.

“See you in fifteen,” I say before hanging up.

When Isaac says fifteen, he means it.  By the time I had put on heavier clothes and shoes, he was waiting patiently outside, his dad’s car still running.  I hurry outside, not bothering to tell my parents where I was headed.  They trust Isaac, for whatever reason.  He opens his arms and I rush into them, inhaling the smell of freshly mowed grass and the citrus scent of his cologne.  Issac holds me close and I feel the last of the tension in my body be released, everything melting away.  We head towards the car, a small smile on his face.

“What?” I ask.

“Nothing, you just look like shit,” he says with a smirk.  I give him the bird, making him laugh.  We both get into the car and I scrunch my nose up at the smell of it.  His dad’s scent is everywhere and it kind of makes me want to vomit.  It reeks of chlorine and dried blood.  Isaac looks over at me, a grimace on his face.  “I know it smells bad but I didn’t really wanna ride my bike all the way here.”  At that I laugh, the smell forgotten.

The drive to the nearest diner doesn’t take long and we talk the entire time, the chatter keeping me together.  Once inside, Isaac orders us milkshakes (mine chocolate and his strawberry because he’s an odd man) and we sit in our regular booth, three from the front door.  While we wait, we talk about school and our plans for the dance.  Everything with Isaac is so easy and simple.  We never run out of things to talk about and he doesn’t seem to mind that I don’t tell all of every story.  He does the same, so it’s hard to be a hypocrite with that sort of thing.  

Seeking comfort, I reach across the table and grab his hand.  Without thinking, he immediately starts gently rubbing circles on my hand with his thumb, a familiar action between us.  And to think, a few months ago I was worried about making friends.  I sigh, balancing my head on my other hand.  Something has to be done about my crush on Stiles, but what?  He’s obviously not into me the way I’m into him.  Then, I remember how he reacted when Lydia brought up Isaac yesterday in the mall.  His face held an intense amount of jealousy, something I had never seen him wear around Lydia and Jackson.  A plan starts to form in my head, something I’m not sure will work but I’m willing to try.  Things couldn’t get worse.

“I have a question for you,” I say as the waitress sets our milkshakes down in front of us. 

“Shoot,” he says, letting go of my hand to put a straw in his shake.  I gather my courage, deciding that if he says no, it won’t be that big of a deal.  I watch him tear the wrapper off the straw, taking a deep drink of his pink monstrosity, and take a deep breath, deciding it’s now or never.  

“Do you have feelings for me?” I blurt out.  Isaac chokes on his shake, coughing slightly.  I furrow my eyebrows and hand him a few napkins to clean himself up with.  His shirt is covered in ice cream, which would usually set me laughing but I held it in, just to save him embarrassment.  I’m such a good friend.  

“I’m sorry what?” he asks once his coughing is under control.  I play with a piece of my hair, suddenly worried about this very, very stupid plan of mine.

“Do you have feelings for me?  Like, in a romantic sense?”  Isaac narrows his eyes at me, a befuddled look on his face.  If this wasn’t so serious, I may have laughed.  “I’m being serious, Isaac.  Do you have any sort of romantic feelings towards me?  Yes or no?”

“Uh, no?” he says.  I nod, somewhat pleased with his answer.  I kind of figured he didn’t like me in that way, but it would definitely make the next part of my plan a little easier on the both of us.  

“So, I have recently discovered that I have a…”  I pause, searching for the right word to describe how I felt about Stiles.  “Infatuation?  Crush?  I’m not sure.”  Issac holds up a hand.

“It’s not on me is it?  Because I see you as more of a sister…” I laugh, shaking my head.  He sighs, relieved that I’m not into him in that way either.

“No, definitely not on you.  I have a mild crush on Stiles.”  He makes a face at me.  “Yes, I know he loves Lydia but I have a plan.”  I tell him all about our shopping trip and how when Lydia mentioned him, Stiles seemed to get jealous.  I describe what happened before I called him and my plan of how to get Stiles to be interested in me.  

“Hold on.  You want to use me to make Stiles jealous?” he asks.  I nod, confused as to what part of my plan he was confused about.  “Stiles is jealous of me?”  I nod slower this time.  Isaac smiles, a proud look on his face.  “Stiles is jealous of me.”  I roll my eyes; boys.

“Yeah, don’t go getting a big head about it.”  He laughs and I crack a smile.  Isaac agrees to my ridiculous plan, after very little convincing may I add, and even adds his own take on things.  I am impressed with his dedication to my half thought out plan and I know that anything Issac does will drive Stiles insane.  We finish our shakes and head out, the smell of chlorine nearly suffocating me in the car once again.  The drive home is filled with me bouncing in my seat and Issac singing along with the radio.

Once back at my house, Isaac walks me up to my front door and bids me good night.  At this point it’s basically midnight and I’m exhausted.  Just going up the stairs to my room takes a lot out of me, exhaustion hitting at the top of the stairs.  I collapse onto my bed, still wearing the clothes I had borrowed from Stiles.  My sleep is dreamless and deep, and I’m thankful for it.  

The next morning, Isaac is there to pick me up, yet again with his dad’s car.  I made sure to dress warm, in a black turtleneck and jeans, because the heater in the car did not work.  Which is unfortunate for everyone involved, because the chlorine smell did not get pushed around and Isaac refused to put any of the windows down.  I rush outside, hair still half wet from my shower and instantly regret not blow drying it.  It wasn’t cold per say but the chilly wind definitely did not feel good blowing through my hair.

“Ready to make Stilinski jealous?” he says smiling.  I nod, a grin settling on my face.  Confidence settles into my bones and sets my face into a permanent smirk.  Isaac has a matching one plastered onto his face and I know that this will work.  

School goes fairly normally.  Isaac and I get a few stares, most focusing on our linked hands and his arm slung casually around my waist.  Things are going smoothly, almost too smoothly.  We sit on our own at lunch, heads bent over our math homework, Isaac trying to help me figure out a few difficult equations.  He sneaks a kiss on my cheek and I allow myself to blush, knowing he did it to sell it to my friends, who are gawking at us from across the lunch room.  I look up from my book and meet Stiles stare, a smile on my face.  He quickly looks away, embarrassment leaking from him.  I turn towards Isaac, leaning into him a little.

“Do you think he’s buying it?” I whisper.  Isaac nods, laughing quietly and dipping his head to look back down at his notebook.  We eat quickly and start moving towards our next class when Lydia approaches us.

“Evie, I didn’t know you had it in you,” she says, a smirk on her face.  Isaac pauses, making me stop as well.  

“Have what in me?” I ask innocently.  There’s a proud gleam in her eye as she leans towards me.

“You’re going to have him wrapped around your little finger before the month is over.”  I laugh, blushing slightly.  “Seriously.  He can’t stop talking about how much he doesn’t like Isaac.”  She turns towards the man in question.  “You should probably watch your back though.  I’ve heard lots of upset people today.  Evie had more admirers than anyone thought.”  With that, she flips her hair and walks off, leaving a confused Isaac in her wake.  

“That answers my question then,” I say with a laugh.  He just shakes his head and grabs my hand, ready to face more stares.  

The rest of our day goes by quickly and Lydia insists that I attend lacrosse practice.  The temp has dropped by then but I still feel comfortable in just my sweater.  I had purchased a pair of glasses without a prescription to maintain my image, even though my eyesight had perfected itself after becoming a werewolf.  My glasses had clouded up on several occasions while waiting for the boys to appear from the gym.  Lydia wraps a blanket around herself, not used to the cool weather.  I tease her relentlessly for it, but she maintains that it’s a necessary thing.

“Why are we here again?  You aren’t dating Jackson anymore, doesn’t that let you off the hook for these things?” I ask, still confused as to why we’re here.  She sighs, a puff of white air coming from her mouth.

“You should be here, as Isaac’s girlfriend.  I’m just here to reinforce that idea and because I enjoy spending time with my cousin.”  She turns her bright smile onto me. I sigh, knowing that she’s right.  “Besides, these guys don’t really have a lot of support right now, especially since it’s so cold out.  No one wants to come and watch when they could be at home.”  

“You’re not wrong.”  I turn fully towards her.  I pause for a second before asking what’s been eating at me since lunch.  “So, what has Stiles been saying?”  She laughs, shaking her head and making me smile.  Having a crush is kind of nice when you can share it with your friends.  

“He doesn’t understand how Issac managed to land a girlfriend before him,” she says.  I make a face, knowing that if he pulled his head out of his ass for a few minutes he’d be able to see that I was right in front of him.  Lydia just nods, as if not understanding him either.  “He’s so wrapped up in Isaac having a girlfriend that he hasn’t fully processed that you’re the girlfriend.”  Lydia turns to me, a sly look on her face.  “So, what happened last night?  Stiles refuses to tell us  why he left your house but something must have happened between you two for you to go to Issac for help.”

I sigh, deciding to tell her the full story.  With every word she becomes more and more outraged at Stiles reaction.  By the time I’m done, her face has gone completely red with anger.  I have to hide my laugh behind my hand.  

“HE’s an absolute idiot!  Those were clear signs and he just ignored them!” she exclaims, gaining the attention of Coach, who turns to look at us.  We just wave and he goes back to ordering the boys to do sprints.  I sigh, upset again at what had transpired.

“He’s too in love with you to notice anyone else, unfortunately,” I say, sadness lacing my voice.  Lydia narrows her eyes, clearly not aware of how Stiles looks at her.  I huff; of course she doesn’t see it, she barely knew who he was before all of this.  “He just doesn’t see me in that way.”

“Yet,” she says.  “This plan of yours is going perfectly so far and I think that the winter formal is the perfect time to put the last nail in his coffin.”  I tilt my head, confused by what she’s implying.  “We are going to make you so hot that no boy will be able to resist you.”  I laugh; should have seen that one coming.  “Come on, let’s ditch this popsicle stand.  I think it’s time for a bit of makeover.”  She stands, pulling me with her.  I wave at Isaac, blowing a kiss in his direction to really seal the deal.  He waves back and I watch Stiles glare at him.  Interesting.  

Come to find out, ‘a bit of a makeover’ actually meant a complete makeover.  She found the perfect dye to give my strawberry blonde hair a bit more punch to it, making it a more vibrant red shade.  We went to a salon to have my eyebrows waxed and reshaped, as well as to get haircuts, Lydia deciding to do a bit of refreshing herself.  Lydia led me around a few stores, picking out a few new outfits that I could wear this spring, or as she liked to call them ‘man catching clothes’.  She insisted that they would drive Stiles crazy and who was I to deny her?  Hell, we even got our nails done.  

We dyed my hair in my bathroom, trying our best to not make a mess, which was a total fail.  I’ll have red dye on my floor until I’m eighty.  Lydia steals a bottle of wine from my parents liquor cabinet and we get a little wine drunk.  At one point Lydia calls Allison and we all end up sprawled out on my floor, Dirty Dancing playing in the background.

“So, what’s Scott like in bed?” Lydia asks suddenly.  I hit her with a pillow, directly in the face.  “Hey!”

“Too soon Lyds!” I exclaim, while Allison laughs.  

“No, no I can answer,” she says.  We gossip like that for hours, sharing stories and just having fun with each other.  No boys, no craziness, nothing to ruin our perfect day. Both decide to stay over, since it was Friday and I’m happy for the company.  Keeps me from being sad about how my life has decided to go.  We watch movies and just relax for once.

The next day is the winter formal and Lydia insists on helping Allison and I get ready.  She curls my hair, pinning in places where I’ll forget there are pins and helping Allison apply a rather dramatic eyeshadow look.  We all get dressed together, taking pictures as we go, making sure to document this happy time, especially since we don’t know when we’ll have a chance to feel normal again.  The flash from the camera triggers my eyesight, making them glow in every picture but neither girl seems to notice or care.  

The boys all pick us up at my house, where we make them wait in my living room while each one of us makes an entrance, at Lydia’s request.  Allison goes first, with no reaction from Jackson, unsurprisingly. He’s such a piece of work.  I bet I could take him in a fight.  Break his fragile jaw in a single punch.  The confidence those thoughts give me does not last.  I go next, nervously smoothing out the fabric of my skirt and barely able to breathe thanks to Lydia pulling the corset strings exceedingly tight.  

I make it down the stairs without tripping, thankfully.  I hear an intake of breath and I look up from the stairs to see Stiles staring at me, open mouthed.  Isaac glares at him, before turning a smile to me.  I do my best to focus only on Isaac, smiling and spinning a little to show off the back.  Hearing a soft gulp, I turn towards Stiles again, a smirk on my face, the confidence coming back almost immediately at his face.

“You’re drooling Stilinski,” Jackson states, making me laugh.  The only time he will ever say something humorous.  Stiles immediately snaps his mouth shut and steals glances at me everyone once in a while.  Lydia descends rather quickly but he keeps looking at me.  I do my best to ignore him, instead focusing on fixing Isaac’s tie.  

After fixing his tie, I go on my tiptoes to kiss his cheek, leaving a near perfect impression of my lips there in the dark red lipstick Lydia had applied.  I can feel Stiles’ stare on my back and can hear his heartbeat quicken. My parents snap a few pictures of all of us, everyone complaining about it.  

We leave quickly after that, Stiles following us in his Jeep.  The dance itself goes off without a hitch.  Isaac and I dance, trying to ignore the fact that Stiles eventually gets Lydia to dance with him and the jealousy that comes with seeing her pressed so closely to him.  I know she doesn’t like him, but it still hurts.  Scott sneaks in at some point, dances with Danny, and then proclaims his love for Allison before they both disappear, presumably to go make out somewhere.  Jackson also disappears mid-way through and doesn’t reappear.  Not long after that, Lydia leaves to go find him with Stiles trailing after her like a lost puppy.  I push aside my irritation at him to focus on helping my cousin find her awful ex.  

“Hey, maybe we should go help Lydia find Jackson,” I yell over the music.  Isaac nods, a grim look on his face, which does nothing to curb my approaching anxiety.  

We make our way out of the school when a blood curdling scream comes from the practice field. Panic crawls up my spine; that was distinctly Lydia.  Without a look towards Isaac, I start sprinting towards it, following the scent of fear and Chanel perfume that laces the air.  I get there right as Stiles starts to leave with Peter, Lydia’s body bleeding profusely from multiple wounds.  I stop, partially not wanting Peter to see me, but also out of pure terror.  

It takes them a few moments to leave completely, and I feel Isaac come up beside me, breathing heavily.  Once they are completely out of sight and I can no longer hear Stiles’ heartbeat, I dart onto the field, Isaac close behind me.  I kneel down next to my cousin and check her pulse, fighting back the terror I feel in my stomach.  Peter did a real number on her; her dress is torn and blood is leaking steadily from a bite on her shoulder.  There’s blood everywhere, streaked across her face and other shoulder.  I have to listen very closely, but I can hear her heart beating.  I let out a soft sob of relief at the noise.  

I hear Jackson run up behind us; Stiles must have called him to come get her.  Paying the boys no attention, I manage to lift Lydia off the ground, carrying her towards the school.  A deadly calm settles over me, replacing the usual panic.

“Isaac, call my mom.  Jackson, call 911.”  Both nod at my directions, heading in opposite directions to make their calls.  After he’s done, Jackson heads towards where I’m standing with Lydia and tries to take her from my arms.  “I’ve got it handled,” I growl at him, flashing my eyes. He takes several steps back, a look of terror on his face.  

Isaac pays no attention to us, having a very heated discussion with my mom that I do my best to tune out.  I turn towards the school, walking slowly so as to not cause any more harm to Lydia’s already broken body.

It takes the ambulance ten minutes to reach the school and take my cousin from my arms.  I ride in the back with her, since I was the only relative present at the time.  I hold her hand the entire ride to the hospital, managing to keep my tears in check by listening to the rise and fall of her heartbeat.  As they hurry her inside, I finally let myself fall apart, that calm disappearing entirely.  The tears came quick and hot, ruining whatever makeup was still left on my face.  A nurse led me to an empty waiting room, got me a bottle of water and a chocolate bar, and just sat with me until my tears stopped.  

“Lydia is a strong girl, I know she’ll be okay,” she said.  I nod, wondering how she knows Lydia.  She must see the confusion on my face because she adds, “I’m Melissa McCall, Scott’s mom.  You’re Evie right?  He talks about you all the time.  You and Stiles are the main reasons he’s not failing more classes.”  I feel my face go hot; Scott was the last person I expected to actually enjoy my company.  She smiles and hands me a tissue from her scrubs pocket.  “Here.” I take it, loudly blowing my nose and wiping my eyes, feeling much less panicked about the whole ordeal.  

“Thank you,” I say quietly.  She wraps an arm around me, pulling me into an awkward sitting hug.  Melissa lets me go after a few moments, clearing her throat.

“I have some extra clothes if you want to change out of your dress.”  I look down and nearly vomit at the sight of my ruined dress.  Lydia’s blood had dried in the fabric, the bodice was covered in it.  How I hadn’t noticed before now was astounding.  I nod and Melissa takes me to a locker room in the basement of the hospital.  She digs out a pair of clean scrubs and hands them to me.  “There’s a shower around the corner if you’d like to freshen up.  I have a feeling it might be awhile before anyone is allowed to see her.”  

“What about my dress?”  I ask, picking at the material of the skirt.  I would be sad if we had to discard it; it really had been the perfect dress.  Melissa taps her chin a few times, thinking.

“Let me see what I can do,” she says with a smile.  I nod and head towards the shower, peeling the blood soaked dress off and laying it gingerly on a nearby bench for Melissa to collect while I washed myself off.  

I struggle with the faucet for a few moments, not understanding which way to turn it to get the hot water flowing.  Once I got it figured out, I spent several minutes just standing under it, letting the hot water relax my tense muscles.  I do my best to not let the events of the evening replay, to just focus on right now.  I scrub off the dried blood that leaked through my dress and try to forget about how it got there and who it belonged to.  My mind wanders as I gently wash my face free of any traces of makeup and turn off the water to see that Melissa had taken my dress and replaced it with a clean towel.  I gratefully dry myself off and dress in the scrubs she had given me.

I emerge from the locker room more tired than I had been when I went in.  I take the elevator up to where the waiting room is, barefooted and holding my heels in my hand.  Leaning against the back wall of the elevator, I watch the numbers rise as it passes each floor, the soft bell noise calming my frayed nerves.  When the doors open, I pull myself away from the wall and exit.  Turning the corner into the waiting room, the yelling match happening finally hits my ears, making me wince, immediately recognizing the voices as my aunt and uncle.  Lydia’s mom and dad argue all the time, and, despite their daughter being in the hospital, this is no different.  They scream about who’s fault it is, who’s going to pay the hospital bills, where she’s going to go after she’s let out, everything that didn’t matter right now.  

I sigh and collapse into a chair as far away from them as I could.  They had divorced a few years back, to no one’s surprise.  Lydia’s mom, my aunt, is kind and loves Lydia with her whole heart, but marriage had never sat well with her.  She wasn’t domestic and Lydia’s dad hated that.  They fought all the time, to the point that even Lydia could see the cracks in their relationship before their separation was even announced.  I don’t think she ever processed it thoroughly.  

Eventually they quieted down and I heard her dad leave, slamming the door as he went.  My aunt collapsed down next to me and I turned my tired eyes towards her.  She looks a lot like my mom, though Mom has fewer worry lines around her emerald eyes.  Natalie had aged well but she looked tired, it was evident in her eyes.  

“Thank you for…”  she pauses, swallowing.  Her eyes go glossy with tears.  “For everything.  I don’t know what I would have done if she had… if she had died.”  I nod, lacing my fingers with her own and squeezing.  She squeezes back and wipes her eyes with her other hand.  

“She’s going to be okay,” I whisper.  She nods, though neither of us are sure of anything anymore.  Natalie nods again, relaxing further into the chair and closing her eyes.  I do the same, hoping that maybe sleep will find us and grant us an escape from the mess we are in.  

[heyhilana]

Get to know me game

Tagged by @pascalisthepunkest (thanks lovely🧡)

Rules: tag 21 people you wanna get to know better.

nickname: I don’t have one?? Like no one has ever given me a nickname that would stick and my name is only four letters so it’s kinda hard to make one up lmao.

real name: Lana (fun fact: somehow everyone I meet pronounces it wrong so I now introduce myself with saying my name and saying that it’s like Lana Del Rey)

zodiac: scorpio baby ♏️ (I’m actually obsessed with astrology so, to all my astro ppl, let's be friends!)

favorite musicians or bands: hmm that’s a tough one. I would say my all-time favorites for bands would be P!ATD, The Internet, All Time Low, and FOB. As for just musicians, it would have to be Lucky Daye, Kyle Dion, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Girl Ultra, and Rex Orange County.

favorite sports team: I absolutely love the Mets because I love baseball. (so sad about Syndergaard’s surgery)

other blogs: I don’t have any atm but I would love to make a marvel side-blog because I really love marvel but I don’t want to have all marvel stuff on here because I only write for Pedro.

do i get asks: Every once in a while. I would love to get more because I love answering them :)

tumblr crushes: I wouldn’t say I have crushes on them but there are a few that I like a lot? I won’t mention them but there are about 3-4 that I like :)

lucky numbers: maybe 25? (I am really childish so just look up SpongeBob and the number 25 and you’ll get it)

what am i wearing: oversized black t-shirt and basketball shorts (i must be comfy at all times)

favorite food: chips (yes it’s a snack but the addiction that I have to them is INSANE)

dream vacation: going to Dubai because it’s just so pretty :)

dream car: my jeep. I fell in love with them when I watched teen wolf and I still want to get one. as for a luxury car, maybe a lambo? an electric blue lambo would be cool to have.

drink of choice: soda all day :) never leave soda around me because it’s unhealthy and I will drink it all.

instruments: French Horn and the ukulele

languages: Only English sadly :(

celebrity crushes: Pedro Pascal, Dylan O'Brien, Chris Wood, Oscar Isaac, Michael B. Jordan, and John Boyega for my men. Tessa Thompson, Zendaya, Alexa Demie, Megan Fox, Shay Mitchell, and Gina Carano for my women.

random facts: Hmm...i I have had 12 pets in my life. Yeah, it’s a lot but I love them all :) I only have three of those twelve atm so it’s not as bad now.

I won’t tag anyone because boy have I tagged a lot of people from the last few games I’ve done! Also, I don’t want to do any repeat tags so if you see this and you want to do it, consider yourself tagged :)