#i just wrote the chapter this is from last week and this description has kind of been living in my head rent free ever since

[hiding-under-the-willow]

Quiet or silent?

“Beef?” The voice met his ears like bird song, smooth like a running river, not rapids, not the rumbling of thunder, the sound he’d been turning over in his head for days, but quiet rain.

:)

[scmg11]

HAILEE STEINFELD x READER

BODYGUARD

A/N: HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE! HOW ARE YOU?

As I got swiped away by inspiration and already wrote 8 chapters for my new book, I wanted to surprise you. So I finished proofreading this a new chapter for you!

Let me know what you guys think.

Sending you so much love ❤️

-

Summary: Y/N got assigned as Hailee's new bodyguard but Hailee is not so happy about it.

Warnings: just a little bit of description for harassment, but it will be gone quickly.

Word count: 21840 words.

-

The sound of feet covered in combat boots echoing around in the small, empty hallway was the only sound filling the silence around, creating a calming melody to the girl’s ears as she sauntered to a closed door, stopping in front of it and knocking gently, patiently waiting for permission to enter in the office.

"Come in."

The girl opened the door right after and smiled warmly at the person sat behind the big, glass desk in the middle of the room, "good morning."

"What’s it with this formal shit, Y/N!"

"Oh my bad. Hello bitch, how are you doing?" Y/N smiled cheekily at her boss but also her longtime best friend, sitting on one of the two armchair placed right in front of the desk and crossed her left leg over her right, bent over one and looked at her friend expectantly, waiting for a witty remark.

"I would say ‘that’s better’ but I’m not so sure now." Y/N chuckled at her best friend rolling her eyes and winked at her teasingly, "anyway, I don’t want to take too much of your time up. Let’s get to the point and discuss why I called you here today."

"Alright, what is it?" Y/N looked expectantly at Clara, who was now leaning with her elbows on the desk and with her hands linked together, slipping ‘business face’ on.

"I know you got back from your last job about two weeks ago, but I have a new client and requested the best bodyguard I have. I would be a fool not giving you this job."

"Hm, the best bodyguard here. Flattery. A lot of it." Y/N teased with a proud smile, puffing out her chest, before deflating after a snort left her lips when Clara rolled her eyes good-naturedly at her best friend’s antics, "anyway, of course I will take the job, you know I get bored easily at home after a few days off. So who is this new client? A snotty young prince? A dumb heiress? Uh-oh! I know! A stuck-up model with a big God Complex? Ah they are my favorite. Their head is full of themselves, it makes me laugh every single time. Especially when they are male models."

"None of them actually. Luckily I would say." Y/N sighed out in relief at that before both shuddered loudly as they thought over enduring months and months of working with those kind of clients. A fucking tough job. "It’s an actress. She is also a singer and she is starting a tour soon. You will have to follow her around on tour and a few events she is invited to. If you do a good job, which I’m sure you will, more than perfectly, they will have you around her a lot. She is gaining fans quickly and her parents want her safe."

"Sounds good. Easy. Do I know her?" Y/N nodded gently at the job offer and got instantly excited hearing she have to follow the actress around tour. She is always happy with traveling around the world to discover new, amazing places.

"I don’t know. I’ve seen a couple of her movies, maybe you did too. She is Hailee Steinfeld."

"Oh yeah, I remember her. I listened to one of her songs yesterday on the radio. She has a beautiful voice and that song was such a bop."

"Oh great!"

"When am I starting?" Y/N asked in excitement, always wanting to work since she loved her job dearly. She doesn’t know exactly who her new client is, she just knew her name and her voice when she sang, but she will have time to do a small research about her. She always liked to be fully prepared for a body guarding job.

"Well, if you are ready, they would like for you to start now."

"What, now as in now?" Y/N asked in disbelief, her eyes widening in shock as she realized what her best friend just said.

"Yeah, it was kinda fast." Y/N snorted at that as she shook her head in amusement.

"That’s an understatement Clar. But I will accept. How much time do I have to get ready for her tour?"

"2 weeks I think. She is finishing a movie and then she is off for tour. You can meet her today. Her mom called me this morning asking me if it was okay to join them today."

"Sure, no problem. Are we still up for drinks tonight right?"

"Are you kidding me? I’ve been holed up here for the entire week. I need a break."

"Hm, when you say break you actually mean a good fuck right?" Y/N teased her best friend, who looked at her in fake outrage as she placed her hand on her chest feigning taking offense from Y/N’s words.

"Excuse me?!"

"Don’t act so innocent all of a sudden. I’m the one that has to be your wingwoman."

"Go before I decide to fire you as my wingwoman and as a bodyguard."

Y/N chuckled as she sat up and walked around the desk to give her best friend a big, warm hug before promising to pick her up at 7 for their usual Friday night full of drinks. As Y/N exited the building and climbed into her car, her phone dinged with a text message her best friend sent her with all the information she needed about her new job and the location Hailee was actually in right now to go there and meet her. She put the address in her GPS and drove away into the busy streets of LA.

-

"Name please?" Y/N lifted her sunglasses up her head and looked at the security guard outside the set Hailee was filming in, smiling at him politely.

"Hi, Y/N Y/L/N. I am Miss Steinfeld’s new bodyguard. My agency should’ve already sent all the information needed."

"Ah yes. Here you are. You can park right beside Miss Steinfeld’s trailer. You have to turn left, then right, then right again and you should find it right away. Her name is on the door." Y/N listened carefully to the guard’s directions after he lifted the automatic barrier and let her enter the set’s parking lot. "Have a nice day!"

"Thank you so much. Have a nice day!" Y/N followed the guard’s directions and drove through the set’s parking lot, stopping a few minutes later when she saw a trailer parked in the middle of a deserted part of the parking lot with just 2 cars parked near it. Y/N parked her car right beside a a black Porsche and exited the vehicle, locking it before making her way towards the entrance of the trailer to read once again the name on its door and to make sure it was actually Hailee’s trailer.

"Mom, I already told you that I didn’t need a bodyguard. I don’t want one!"

"Haiz please, listen to me. You are going on tour soon and for the first part of it we can’t be there with you. You are gaining fans fast and we are worried about your safety."

"Yeah, you could’ve tied me to my tour bus or you could’ve locked me into my room. It’s the same, right mom?" Y/N listens to two voices argue, loud enough for her to hear it but just quiet enough to not let everyone around them hear them. She didn’t peer around the trailer to watch who was arguing to avoid being caught eavesdropping, but from what she could hear, she assumed she pretty much was the subject of the argument between Hailee and her mother.

"Haiz, I know you are saying this because you are angry at me and your dad for making this decision without asking you for your opinion, but trust me it was a decision made for your own good."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure. Thanks." Y/N was debating in her mind if she should make her presence known or not, fearing she would get caught by someone, especially from Hailee or her mother.

"Excuse me Miss Steinfeld, but we are ready to shoot again." Y/N sighed out loud when she heard someone approach the two women and quickly ran to her car when she heard footsteps approach where she was leaning on the other trailer’s side.

"Thank you Simon. I will be there in 5 minutes."

Y/N had just the time to close her door quietly before two figures rounded the corner from the back of the trailer, taking just a second to look at them before opening her car door and feigning arriving just in that moment as she adjusted her leather jacket before closing her car door and locking the vehicle again, feeling a pair of eyes watching her movements. "Hm, hello?" Y/N spoke up tentatively, feeling a little bit uneasy at the two pair of eyes staring at them.

"Hi dear, can we help you?" The shorter of the two women asked in a gentle and soft voice, smiling politely at her as she approached them, while the taller one stayed in silence, standing beside the shorter woman with a rigid stance, her arms crossed and her face stoic with her eyebrows furrowed angrily.

"Yes, hi. I am looking for Miss Hailee Steinfeld."

"She is right here." The shorter woman pointed to the taller one with a smile just as Y/N stopped in front of them. "I’m Cheri, her mom."

"Oh, nice to meet you Mrs. Steinfeld, Miss Steinfeld, I’m Y/N Y/L/N. I was assigned to you to be your new bodyguard." Y/N stretched her arm over to shake Cheri’s hand first before doing the same with a reluctant Hailee.

"Oh dear, there’s no need for these formalities, just call me Cheri!" Y/N returned Cheri’s warm smile and nodded softly at her request, "anyway, welcome! I’m afraid we don’t have much time to discuss things since Hailee needs to go back on set, but you can stay with me until she finishes for the day."

"That would be great!"

And they were off, walking towards the set with Cheri talking excitedly to Y/N, telling her how excited she is Y/N was assigned to Hailee as her new bodyguard, how much she admired her for doing such a difficult and sometimes dangerous job, and Y/N listened with rapt attention and with slight amusement at the woman’s enthusiasm but she couldn’t help but notice Hailee stayed quiet the entire walk towards the set with her jaw set and her nostrils flared a bit as she stared with furrowed eyebrows ahead of her. "We’ll wait here sweety, then we will discuss everything after you’re done for the day."

"Okay, see you later."

-

After about three hours Hailee joined them back where she left, her face conveying her tiredness but Y/N could still see in her eyes she was still slightly mad at her mom for hiring a bodyguard she apparently didn’t want from what Y/N gathered when she eavesdropped Hailee’s and Cheri’s argument earlier that day.

"I already ordered burgers baby. They should be here soon." Cheri told her daughter as she approached them and when Cheri’s hand caressed Hailee’s bicep, Y/N watched as a bit of her anger slipped away and got replaced by a loving glint.

"Thanks, shall we go?"

Y/N couldn’t help but notice a small change in Hailee’s behavior compared to the one before shooting back on set. Maybe she cooled off a bit or maybe she had time to think over her mother’s words during filming, but Y/N was glad that she actually came around her mother’s decision, decision she found truly heartwarming. "How was shooting, honey?"

"It was good. A little bit stressing towards the end of it since Nelly couldn’t remember the right line and she had some troubles getting it right, but it was fun as always."

"Oh I’m so sorry for her. She must be exhausted."

"Yeah, she came back from another set three days ago. She has so many projects going on right now."

Y/N didn’t know who Hailee and Cheri were talking about but she assumed they were talking about one of Hailee’s co-star. "Y/N, dear, have you already worked for another actress or actor before?" Cheri asked Y/N with a small smile as they approached Hailee’s trailer in the set’s parking lot.

"Yes, I have. Quite a few. I started my body guarding job with an actress actually. I remember being so anxious and so nervous all the time. But with time you develop more confidence, you become more confident, you learn how to control your emotions and act rationally and logically. You have to be strategic when needed and you must have a clear mind when a dangerous situation unfolds before you so you can protect your client."

"Oh wow!" Cheri exclaimed, her eyes shining with curiosity that Y/N found extremely cute but she couldn’t help but notice Hailee scoffing under her breath as she rolled her eyes, now being the one curious about the actress’ reaction to her words.

"Anyway, it becomes ‘easier’ with time, even though there is nothing easy in this job." Y/N clarified with a small smile directed at Cheri, since the singer wasn’t exactly paying attention to her as she fished her iPhone out of her pocket and started texting someone.

"Oh I’m sure. Y/N, I know how much you’ve worked with your agency and how much of an hard worker you are, that’s why I specifically asked for you. I know Clara. She is one of my dearest friend’s niece. I asked her to assign Hailee one of her best bodyguards and she immediately told me your name and everything you’ve done during your time in her agency."

"Yeah, we pretty much funded it together. We started together."

"For how long have you known her?" Y/N watched as sheer curiosity glistened in Cheri’s eyes and felt her chest flutter at how comforting her attitude is. She couldn’t help tilting upward her lips when she noticed Hailee had her eyes still on her phone but she stopped typing away on it, clearly interested in the conversation going on between Y/N and Cheri as she tried to listen carefully even if she was acting disinterested. They arrived at the trailer and settled in, Y/N sitting on a loveseat, while Hailee and Cheri sat on the couch in front of Y/N.

"We met in college. She was my roommate."

"Oh that’s wonderful dear! I’m so glad Clara assigned you-." Cheri got interrupted when a knock on Hailee’s trailer’s door echoed around the makeshift living room, "it must be the delivery guy with our order. One second, I’ll be right back."

"Yeah, sure." Y/N awkwardly looked around the room with her hands entwined, not really knowing what to say now that she is alone with Hailee, but trying to find something to say since she will be her bodyguard from now on and they will need to start some kind of civil relationship between them. "How was your day on set?"

"Good." Y/N had a feeling that that one word answer will be the only thing that will leave Hailee’s mouth and sighed out softly. The singer’s tone wasn’t exactly harsh or conveyed hostility, but it held a dryness in them that told Y/N she was still pretty mad at her mother or even Y/N herself for this situation. Not that Y/N had a say in all of this. She was just doing her job.

"Okay! Here I am!" Cheri came back a minute later, carrying two dark paper bags full of their food and Y/N immediately sat up to go help Cheri, feeling Hailee’s eyes on her in the process but paying no mind to it. "Oh thank you, dear."

"You’re welcome." Y/N smiled widely at Cheri, who grinned back at her with sweetness seeping out of her every pore before they settled everything on the kitchen table, with surprisingly Hailee’s help, who got up a minute after Y/N.

"Let’s dig in. I’m starving." Hailee stated, making her mother chuckle with a fond smile on her lips and gestured to Y/N to eat before joining them.

-

"Have you got everything, honey? Did you pack everything?"

"Yes, mom!" Hailee laughed good-naturedly at her mother’s anxiety as she made her check her suitcases 4 times and go over the list she made of things she had to pack at least 10 times to make sure she packed everything with her before making her finally close her suitcases to bring them down to put them in her tour bus. "I literally have the list memorized by now." Hailee smiled lovingly at her mother as she checked the list for the umpteenth time before meeting her eyes and nodding at her.

"Okay, yeah. You’re right. Sorry. I- I’m just a bit stressed. You’re going on tour and I want to make sure you have everything with you."

"I know mom. I got everything. I checked everything before closing all my suitcases." Hailee smiled warmly at her mother before chuckling softly under her breath with fondness swirling around her brown irises when she watched her mother fold the piece of paper with the list on it and nod gently at her.

"Good! That’s good. Hm, alright it seems you’re ready to go. Oh no! It’s getting late!" Cheri took a look on the watch on her wrist and placed her right hand on her cheek in shock when she looked at the time. They were running a bit late.

"Yeah, we need to go." Hailee hugged her mother before doing the same with her father and her brother then walked in her tour bus and closing the door, making sure to lock it before making her way further into the bus to settle everything down. She felt the bus start moving and sighed out contentedly.

"Hi." Y/N had to swallow the soft snort that was ready to come out of her mouth when Hailee jumped up in fright with a small squeal at Y/N’s voice echoing around the silent bus.

"Oh shit. Fuck! You scared me."

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you. I didn’t know how to make my presence known without scaring you, I guess I didn’t do a good job." Y/N chuckling softly while scratching the back of her head, the grimacing to try to convey her regret for scaring the singer.

"Well- don’t worry. I guess it’s definitely better than doing a sudden loud noise or something like that."

"Yeah, I guess." Y/N chuckled softly under her breath, emitting another soft chuckle then let a small smile adorn her lips as she looked at Hailee for a few seconds before focusing on her hands in her lap, feeling slightly awkward being in a room alone with Hailee since they had never been alone again since when first meeting almost 10 days prior.

"Hm, what are you doing here?" Hailee asked as she played with her fingers, wringing them gently as she tried to focus her gaze on anything but Y/N, clearly feeling the awkwardness between them. It’s not that they started off on a wrong foot, but Hailee still strongly believes she doesn’t need a bodyguard while on tour and she hadn’t acknowledged Y/N, just the bare minimum.

"Your mom told me to stay here with you." Y/N answered with a serious, business-like tone. She had always been a professional at work and had never, not even once let her emotions show or let them control her, but since Hailee had never been friendly with her, always acting annoyed by Y/N’s presence, almost like she blamed Y/N for being there to protect her when she was just doing her job, she decided to build a wall between them and act just with Hailee just like Hailee is acting with her.

"Oh, yeah right. To protect me." Hailee stressed the word ‘protect’ out with a sarcastic tilt in her tone and Y/N felt annoyance bubble in the pit of her stomach, but she tried to swallow her comeback down to prevent starting an argument with her new client.

"Yeah." Y/N trailed off for a few seconds to collect her thoughts and try to not sound annoyed as she felt to Hailee, "that’s what I do. It’s my job."

"I don’t doubt that, trust me. It’s just that, like I’ve been trying to say for the past 10 days, I don’t need protection!"

"Yeah, I heard you. Your mother heard you. Your father heard you. But they are still worried. Fans can get crazy. They are all amazing, but sometimes meeting your idol makes you go a little crazy. Trust me, I met a lot of them. A few of them were pretty crazy."

"But not my fans."

"I’m not saying that. I’m just saying that fans can be a lot sometimes, especially after waiting for you for an entire day at a venue or at the airport. They are loyal, passionate, loving. And that can get too much sometimes."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever." Y/N resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Hailee dismissed her as she wasn’t paying attention anymore with a wave of her hand and rummaged around the kitchen for a mug. "I’m just changing a few things from now on. When we’re stopping for a break in about an hour, you’re gonna leave me alone. I don’t need a babysitter."

"I’m not a babysitter." Y/N countered back with a strong but still polite tone, crossing her arms and staring at Hailee hard.

"Yeah sure, but I still want to be left alone. I do not agree with my mother’s choice of giving me a bodyguard, but I have to accept it in some way. But what I don’t accept is you staying here when you can easily stay with the crew on the other bus. I want my privacy."

"Okay well. I will go on the other bus as you wish." Y/N gave in dryly, not wanting to keep discussing this subject, stood up right after and, without sparing Hailee another look, walked into the driver’s cabin and asked him to pull over and let her walk out of the bus. Thankfully he stopped immediately after her request, communicating what he was doing to the other driver and without even saying anything else to Hailee, she walked out of the bus and got on the other one.

-

"Yeah, yeah, totally. Oh, yes, we just got here." Hailee opened her tour bus’ door as soon as it stopped, finally arriving in Phoenix, the first city that will start Hailee’s worldwide tour. "Yeah, I am getting off of the bus right now and I’ll go in the venue for the soundcheck."

Hailee stopped in her tracks on the last step to get off the tour bus when she came face to face with Y/N, already waiting for her with her arms crossed and stoic face to accompany her in the venue. "Hi."

"Yeah no, sorry mom. Line got interrupted for a second." Hailee ignored Y/N and visibly rolled her eyes, letting out a huff through her nose as she descended the last step off the tour bus and walked away from Y/N, huffing out again when she heard over her mother’s voice through her iPhone’s loudspeaker steps following her, annoyed about Y/N following her around. "Okay, I will. I need to go now. Okay, bye mom. Love you."

Hailee waited for her mom to say ‘I love you’ back before hanging up the phone. "Are we ready to start our first soundcheck for the first date of this tour?!"

"Hell yeah!" Hailee high-fived her guitarist before doing the same with the drummer, joining her at her sides then walking inside the venue. Hailee took a second to sweep her eyes all over the place, taking it in and smiling widely when she imagined the venue being completely filled with her fans that night. "Hm, I missed this so much." Hailee stated out loud, letting out a sigh as she soaked up in the feeling of finally being back on tour.

"Hey, Y/N! It’s nice to see you again." Y/N smirked smugly when Hailee furrowed her brows and turned her head around in confusion when her drummer said ‘hi’ to Y/N, Hailee then noticed the smug grin on Y/N’s face and rolled her eyes in annoyance before turning back around and walking towards the stage.

"Hey Mick. How is it going? Everything already set up?" Y/N asked enthusiastically at the young man smiling back at her, who walked into step with her as she walked behind Hailee, now a few feet from them. "Excited for tonight?"

"Oh yes! Everything is set up. I’m so thrilled for tonight. I can’t believe it’s sold out on the first night already." The brown eyed young man looked at the stage with a big, bright smile before looking at Y/N again, "so everything is going good. Great even."

"Cool. Are we ready for the soundcheck? Can I go get my in-ear monitors in?" Hailee butted in the conversation and asked just as enthusiastically, eyeing the stage some more before focusing her attention back on her drummer.

"Oh yes! I have them already. Go get ready."

"M’kay, ready for soundcheck in 5 minutes, Mick."

"Okay!"

-

"Are you ready?" Hailee’s makeup artist asked in a soft voice as she applied the last touches of makeup on the singer backstage, Hailee nodding gently as she stared ahead of her after taking a deep breath, making the makeup artist smile warmly at her.

"I’m a bit nervous." Hailee admitted as she bit on her bottom lip anxiously, watching from her position in the backstage the lights on stage changing colors while the music in the background became louder and louder each passing second, signaling and warning her she only had about 10 seconds before going on stage, the beats of the drums reverberating through her ribcage, filling her up with adrenaline.

"You’re gonna do great." Y/N shouted over Hailee’s fans loud screams and smiled encouragingly at her, shocked to see a small grin directed back at her after the singer moved her focus from the stage to her, meeting her gaze briefly then returning her eyes back on stage, taking one last deep breath before running on stage, saying ‘hi’ to her fans that erupted in the loudest collective scream yet.

"Hello everybody! How are you?" Hailee laughed into the mic when her fans screamed louder and shook her head fondly before continuing, "I can see you’re doing great! Let’s get this show started, shall we?"

-

Y/N had to admit the concert was amazing. The fans were crazy for Hailee and Hailee put one hell of a show for them. Y/N had travelled a lot and she had seen a lot of concerts when she was a singer’s bodyguard and she had seen a lot of crazy fans, a lot of them were crazy, but she had never seen so much love being directed at a singer with that intensity, with so much warmth. It was endearing, truly. "WOHO! HOW WAS THAT?!"

"You did amazing. Congratulations."

Hailee turned around to stare back at Y/N, still not expecting her acting so nicely after treating her so poorly. "Thank you!"

Y/N smiled warmly at Hailee but the brown haired girl just reciprocated with a tight lipped smile before turning towards her dancers engulfing her in a big group hug, "hey, great show!"

Mick high-fived Y/N enthusiastically and giggled alongside her while bumping their shoulders together, watching as the dancers surrounding Hailee now started jumping up and down with her in the middle and screaming at the top of their lungs. "And it’s just the beginning."

"Do you think it will get crazier?" Y/N asked with an incredulous voice, watching Mick nod with widened eyes. "Really?!"

"Yes! Hailee’s fans are the best. They are so passionate about her! It’s amazing."

"I saw them during the concert. I still have to ‘encounter’ them in other occasions but I can see they are passionate." Y/N admitted as she watched Hailee interact with her dancers as she smiled widely, "I guess I will need to be extra careful, right?"

"Eh, not that much. They are respectful. Most of them at least. She had almost zero encounters with ‘batshit crazy’ fans."

"That’s good to know. I had a quite a few with that kind of fans and trust me, it’s not a pretty sight to witness."

"Oh I’m sure." Mick snorted under his breath before shaking his head softly, "but I’m sure it’s fun and exciting, am I right?"

"In some way yeah. But I guess when you need to protect your client, you are worried too. Even if there isn’t too much danger."

"Oh yeah, right." Mick seemed to ask something else, but he never got the chance because Jasmine, one of the dancers, came sauntering towards them with a big grin and interrupted them.

"GUYS! GET READY! WE’RE GOING TO PARTY!"

"What?" Y/N snorted when Mick asked that question with his eyebrows furrowed and a confused expression on his face.

"You heard me. We are going to celebrate the first concert of the tour!"

"You already planned everything, didn’t you?" Mick asked with a mischievous grin on his lips as he crossed his arms and looked at Jasmine knowingly.

"Well, yeah! C’mon, we’ve known each other for years!" Y/N watched as Mick chuckled with a small nod as Jasmine circled her arm around his shoulders and side-hugged him tightly.

"Fair enough. Anyway, I’m always in when there is alcohol involved."

"Y/N, are you in?" Jasmine asked with a smile, rolling a strand of hair around her index finger and looking at the Y/H/C girl expectantly.

"I kinda have to." Y/N replied with a snort, "you guys kinda have to be friends with me, because wherever Hailee goes, I go too. But I’m glad you invited me, so I don’t feel like I’m crushing on you guys’ night."

Mick and Jasmine laughed at her joke and both punched her shoulders as they shook their heads, "you sound like a jealous girlfriend."

Y/N snorted out loud at Mick’s joke before flipping him off, making him laugh harder alongside Jasmine. "C’mon you two, let’s get drunk!"

-

"I know! But at least I got free alcohol!" Jasmine laughed care-freely as she sipped on her drink, moving her head to the beat of the song playing in the club while eyeing her friends in the vip area dancing.

"We got free alcohol. Thank you Jaz!" Mick leaned over the table and high-fived Jasmine then doing the same with Y/N, who was only paying half attention to what they were saying as she tried to keep her gaze focused on Hailee dancing with a few of her dancers on the dance floor not too far from them. "Dude you now look like a jealous girlfriend. Chill. She is with us. She is safe."

"Stop harassing her Mick. She is doing her job." Jasmine leaned over the table to slap Mick’s shoulder before sitting back on her chair and patting Y/N’s hand gently, drawing her full attention. "Don’t listen to him Y/N."

"Oh trust me, I’m not. And I never will." Y/N joked with a mischievous smile directed at Mick, making him gasp with an offended face, his mouth opened in an O shape and his eyebrows drawn together, but she purposefully ignored him and focused her attention on Jasmine instead. "I just- I don’t want to be too oppressive. She doesn’t want me here. But her mom does. I want her to trust her mom is right. I am not her enemy. Nor are her fans. But sometimes things get crazy and I am here to protect her if it will ever happen."

"Don’t worry Y/N. She will come around eventually." Jasmine assured Y/N with a warm smile.

"Yeah, she will. I am sure of that." Mick caught Y/N’s attention by laying a hand on the Y/H/C girl and patting it gently.

"Thank you guys." Y/N smiled in appreciation at her friends, who just lifted their drinks and winked at her with small grins of their own.

"I need a drink." Y/N snorted under her breath when another dancer, Tess, walked at their table and sat unceremoniously down on the chair beside her, a bit sweaty and out of breath. "Can you go get me one Mick?"

"Sure. For 200 dollars."

"What?! C’mon! You came here to sit three songs ago! I need to rest." Tess argued as she groaned at Mick’s mischievous expression.

"Not my fault. You could’ve joined me then and you could’ve rested enough to get a drink." Mick countered back with mirth glowing in his eyes. Despite his words, Y/N saw Mick gripping the chair’s armrests, a clear sign he is ready to get up, and that gesture made Y/N smile fondly as she witnessed the drummer mess around a little bit with Tess.

"Ugh, you’re an asshole." Tess flipped him off before sending him a kiss when he got up from his chair right after. "Love you!"

"Yeah, yeah." Mick waved Tess off before walking towards the small group still dancing and talked to Luke and Mark quickly, before walking towards the VIP area’s bar. He probably asked his friends to get drinks for everyone and not too long after everyone joined the table when Mick, Luke and Mark brought shots and drinks. Everyone except Hailee. Y/N was ready to sit up and join her to keep an eye on her closely, but Tess passed her a shot and made her cheer with everyone else. Then another. When the third one arrived in a very short time, Y/N declined it since she was technically working and that made her senses go back on alert, chancing a look at Hailee, expecting her to dance with the few people dancing on the dance floor, but she was met with uncomfortable eyes that were clearly asking for help. With a lightning-fast movement she sat up from her chair and strode towards the dance floor.

"C’mon, let me buy you a drink babe."

"Do not call me babe. I said no. Thank you." Hailee talked slowly but with a firm voice, her tone a bit lower and full of anger and annoyance.

"Then let’s dance a bit before getting that drink. I promise I will make worth your while."

Y/N wanted to punch that douchebag’s face repeatedly when she heard the conversation going on as she got closer to Hailee and a small curly, dark brown haired boy, watching as he ogled Hailee with his brown eyes. "Is there a problem here?"

"No. Bye."

Y/N had to restrain herself when the boy answered before Hailee could, not even moving his eyes from her chest before meeting Hailee’s gaze with a disgusting flirty smile, "where were we? Oh yeah, we were about to dance. Or we could skip the dance and the drink and get right to the good part."

"Like a said no. A million times no."

"But-."

"You heard her. No." Y/N interrupted him as she crossed her arms under her chest and approached Hailee slightly, noticing how she leaned a bit over her as she tried to move away from the boy.

"Who are you?" Y/N had to physically restrain herself from punching repeatedly this douchebag’s smug face by closing her hands into tight fists, feeling her short nails sink deep into her palm and creating a grounding stinging, and by taking a deep, calming breath but it proved to be a really difficult task when the douchebag’s face twisted in disgust, "go find another girl to hit on, she is not interested."

Y/N’s patience was becoming thinner by the second and closed her eyes for a second to stop from head-butting hard this jerk, before opening her Y/E/C eyes again and focusing her cold gaze on him, "the only person I want to hit, hard, right now it’s you. Don’t test my patience. I’m here to tell you to go fuck yourself."

"Nice try, but I’m not going anywhere. Not without her at least." Hailee frowned in disgust when the boy winked at her in something that he may have considered seductive before focusing his gaze back on Y/N. "So why don’t you go bother someone else?"

"Did I stutter? Go. Fuck. Yourself."

"Listen-."

"No you listen for once. I said no. NO. A million times no. I guess you don’t take a no for an answer but I don’t care. I said no. I’m not going anywhere with you. And apologize to her since she had been nice enough to not beating the shit out of you."

"Oh I got it now. You two are together. It’s fine. We can arrange something." Y/N and Hailee facepalmed right away as they stared dumbly at him for a few seconds but they sighed loudly when they noticed he was actually serious.

"We’re not together. I am her friend."

Hailee was glad Y/N didn’t use the word ‘bodyguard’ since this jerk seemed to be so dense and dumb that he would’ve thought about some kinky role play shit he would’ve wanted to join. "We are her friends and we tell you to go nicely. Don’t let me repeat myself or the word ‘nicely’ won’t be used again."

Hailee turned her head around and smiled warmly at Jasmine and Mick behind her mimicking Y/N’s pose and watching the boy with a withering glare, "ugh fine, you bitch were too fucking haughty and snob to fuck."

The boy turned around with a scoff and went to walk away, but Y/N stopped him right after, "oh hey! You forgot something."

"What?" The boy didn’t have time to turn fully around before Y/N’s fist collided with his cheek hard and made him fall down on the floor with a grunt that almost got covered by the cheers and loud wolf whistles from her friends as they cheered Y/N on.

"There. Now you can go to hell asshole."

-

After about an hour, Y/N walked out of the club, following Hailee closely as she talked animatedly with two of her dancers about something Y/N wasn’t exactly paying attention to. "You don’t have to worry about that, we will blame Pete for that."

"Hey!" Y/N smiled softly at the boy in question protesting, lowering her head down and watching her feet move on the concrete for a few moments before looking up ahead again.

"Don’t worry, we won’t do that." Hailee was quick to reassure with a calming, comforting tone but her innocent expression then broke into a mischievous smile a second later, "maybe."

"I hate you two!" Pete put his hands on Hailee’s and Lorna’s shoulders, walking respectively on his left and on his right side, and pushed them to the side, making them stumble in their steps.

"That’s our stop. We’ll see you tomorrow. Goodnight Haiz." Lorna and Pete hugged Hailee tightly, doing the same with everyone that wasn’t on the bus they were staying in then walked in their bus.

"I’ll join you guys in a second. I will walk Hailee to her bus."

"Okay." Jasmine lifted her thumb up and nodded at her after she hugged Hailee goodnight and walked alongside her friends to their bus.

"Hm, I need to walk you back to your bus then I’ll leave you alone." Y/N told Hailee in an awkward stance and shrugged softly.

"Okay." Hailee nodded and started walking the few steps towards her tour bus, hearing Y/N catch up with her not even a second later.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah." Y/N didn’t believe Hailee not even for a second, she saw her bite on her bottom lip and fidget with her hands nervously since they left the club not too long ago, making Y/N ask if Hailee was okay.

"Are you sure? You seem a little bit- lost? Deep in thought. I just want to make sure you are okay."

"I am just a little bit shaken by what happened." Hailee finally admitted after a few seconds of silence, causing Y/N’s heart to clench at her quiet voice.

"I am so sorry." Y/N apologized with a regretful expression on her face and looked at Hailee with remorse clear in her Y/E/C eyes, "I shouldn’t have sat down at the table. I should’ve been right beside you so he wouldn’t have approached you in the first place." Y/N looked down at her feet for a few seconds in shame before looking back into Hailee’s brown irises when she felt them on her, finding nothing but fondness in those mesmerizing irises.

"Y/N, it’s not your fault. I actually really appreciated you giving me space and not staying glued to me all night long. I might not wanted and I might still not want you here since I don’t think getting a bodyguard was necessary but I understand my mother’s worries and I respect your job. And you did an amazing job. You came at the right time and helped me out and I’m grateful for that. Stop beating yourself up. You did nothing wrong."

"I know, but I should’ve arrived earlier. I should’ve stopped him before he could’ve approached you. I was distracted and I shouldn’t have been distracted. Not when I am working."

Hailee smiled tenderly at her before placing a hand on her right shoulder and caressed it softly in a comforting manner. "It’s okay. You need to have some fun too!"

"I don’t. Not when I’m working." Y/N countered back with her eyebrows furrowed and shook her head in denial, "my priority is your safety and I can’t protect you if I am distracted. It won’t happen again."

"Okay, stop. Hold on. Let me open the door and we can keep talking." Hailee rummaged in her purse to find the tour bus’ keys and opened the door, then signaled for Y/N to enter, but the girl shook her head and signaled her to go in first. Hailee rolled her eyes good-naturedly and shook her head with a small smile before she realized Y/N wasn’t going to give in and walked in first.

"Wow, what a mess!" Y/N said out loud and widened eyes comically as she took in the place, full of clothes scattered all over the living room’s floor and couches.

"Yeah sorry, I was trying to unpack a few things."

"All of this is a bit more than a few things." Y/N joked as she looked at Hailee comically and the girl shrugged shyly.

"Anyway, we started on a wrong foot. Especially because of me. Let’s start over. I will try to be more polite to you if you will try to have fun when needed."

"Oh I didn’t realize this was a negotiation." Y/N cracked another joke, smiling mischievously at Hailee while shaking her index finger to point at Hailee and herself, the singer scoffing with another good-naturedly roll of her eyes. "Anyway, I will try. But your safety has to come first."

"Deal."

-

"Ugh, Y/N relax. You don’t need to walk me back every night to my trailer, especially when it’s 10 feet away from the entrance!"

"I am sorry, but this is the protocol. It’s my job to be sure you are safe in your trailer."

"Yeah, okay, but no one is around. My fans are on the other side of the venue."

"I still will walk you back in your trailer." Hailee huffed out a small laugh as she fished her keys from her stage pants she stashed in there after grabbing them on the counter in her changing room before walking out of the venue and unlocked her tour bus door. "I-."

"Like every other night for the past month, no. You don’t need to check the bus. It was locked."

"Okay." Y/N sighed dejectedly, scratching her forehead in frustration at Hailee’s stubbornness as she looked the singer in her eyes, "you did great tonight by the way."

"Thank you." Hailee smiled widely at the compliment, adrenaline still pumping hard in her veins at how wonderful the concert was that night. The crowd was ecstatic and the atmosphere was amazing.

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight Y/N."

-

Y/N could hear Hailee’s name being screamed by the ecstatic crowd from the backstage and couldn’t help but smile at how passionate Hailee’s fans were and how much love they showed her, "okay, all set. You can go on stage now."

"What’s up everybody!" Y/N smiled widely when Hailee run up on stage and the whole crowd erupted in a loud scream of excitement at her sight, "wow, I see you are happy to see me!"

No matter how many times she saw it, Y/N was still stunned how much loved Hailee was by her fans. She had travelled a lot and she had been pretty famous singer’s bodyguard before, and even if Hailee’s fans weren’t that much compared to the singers’ fans Y/N had worked for, she could see the real passion, affection and love they had for Hailee. A lot of really famous singers have also a lot of ‘occasional’ fans in the crowd that are there at their concert just to watch them live, but with Hailee’s fans Y/N could see every single one of them would go to every single one of Hailee’s shows, they weren’t just occasional fans. "WOHO! WHAT A GREAT SHOW!"

"Fuck you Mick! You will make me go deaf one of these days."

"Nah, you’ll be just fine." Mick waved her off and snickered as he circled his arm around Y/N’s shoulders and hugged her closer for a moment before pulling away.

A few seconds later a body crashed into her back as it crawled over it, giving her just a few seconds to react and grab the person’s thighs to prevent them to fall on the ground, "Y/N! I missed you!"

"Jaz we saw each other 2 hours ago!"

"I know! But I still missed you!" Y/N smiled warmly at her friend as she hugged her tightly and shook her head before putting her down gently.

"Oh yeah! I’m gonna change quickly. I wanna say ‘hi’ to them." Y/N heard Hailee speak to her manager not too far from her and watched curiously as she run to the hallway that led to the dressing rooms, already knowing she was talking about going to say ‘hi’ to her fans waiting outside the arena. She followed her and waited patiently outside her dressing room as Hailee finished changing from her stage clothes and walked her to her fans when she finished, watching with fondness in her eyes Hailee talk to her fans, signing their pictures of her and taking selfies with them. It was calm for almost 10 minutes until a fight started not too far away from them, a few rows back, between a few Hailee’s fans. A few screams could be heard and Y/N, waiting patiently a few feet behind Hailee until then, immediately jumped into action and went to take Hailee away from the scene, since the arena’s guards already got it covered, but the singer walked forward to try to calm everyone down slipping from Y/N’s grasp. Y/N saw from the corner of her eyes as she walked again towards Hailee, a girl crashing into another girl holding a beer and accidentally breaking the bottle onto the barrier on her left, before another girl crashed onto her side and made her stumble forward, dangerously close to Hailee, as she walked a few steps forward to try to help and calm everyone down. "Guys, please let’s just-."

"Hailee!" Y/N got in front of Hailee’s just in time. The Y/H/C girl grabbed the singer’s forearm and pulled her behind her back as she got in front of her a second before the broken bottle got pushed into her lower stomach while the girl holding the bottle fell down on the floor right in front of Y/N’s feet. Y/N grunted in pain when she felt a big piece of glass embed in her skin and flesh, while the rest fell down on the floor and crashed into pieces, but the Y/H/C girl pushed the pain away to protect Hailee and moved her away from the hassle. "We need to go."

"Oh shit- Y/N!"

"We need to go now. I need to escort you away to a safe place."

"B-but we need to look at that-."

"I’ll be fine." Y/N gritted through her teeth as she ignored the excruciating pain and grunted out loud when she pushed Hailee towards the direction of her tour bus.

"Y/N we seriously need to call someone." Y/N grunted back in protest as she kept pushing Hailee towards the bus and signaled for her to open the door as she looked around for anymore treats. "Y/N, please. You’re bleeding."

"I will check it as soon as I am sure you are safe and now-." Y/N trailed off as she closed the door behind her and locked the door. "Now you are." Y/N sighed out loud as she laid her back on the closed door for just a moment before she pushed past the pain for a few more seconds to check the entire bus to be completely sure Hailee was safe.

"Okay, now please, stop here and let me check." Hailee leaned her hands on Y/N’s shoulders when she joined her back on the living area and pushed down gently to let her lay her butt on the small table behind her. "Oh fuck. It looks bad." Hailee stated, examining the big red spot on Y/N’s white t-shirt with a worried expression on her face.

"Can you- l-lift the shirt?"

"I don’t know." Y/N grunted in pain when Hailee just grazed the hem of Y/N’s shirt and stopped her movements right away.

"Fuck." Y/N hissed out loud and retracted her body abruptly from Hailee’s grasp, "sorry, just- be careful."

"I am." Hailee replied softly with a small smile, "I think we should let it be checked." Hailee repeated as she looked once again at the blood stained patch on Y/N’s white shirt, biting her bottom lip nervously. A few seconds later she felt the bus move and instinctively looked at the closed door separating the living area from the driving cabin at the front of the bus with her eyebrows furrowed together. "No, no, no! We should stop."

"No, it’s okay. It’s important that we get away from that chaos. We can handle it. Wait, let me rephrase that. I can handle it. I don’t want to bother you too much. I will go into the bathroom and as soon as we are far away I will go into my bus." Y/N announced as she lifted herself off the table with another pained grunt and limped a few steps towards the bathroom to check herself the damage that broken bottle did to her, but a gentle hand on her right bicep stopped her in her tracks.

"You can’t be serious Y/N. I will help you." Y/N smiled in appreciation at the soft tone Hailee used and nodded gently at her, who nodded back with a small grin of her own, "okay, now stay put. I don’t want to hurt you if you move."

"Yeah, okay." Y/N let herself be lead by Hailee back towards the table, making her sit back down on the table and slowly but more firmly this time, lifted Y/N’s t-shirt to assess Y/N’s injury, carefully slipping the shirt away from the glass before pulling it up under her chest.

"Oh shit." Y/N gasped out loud when she felt the cold air hit her hot skin and chanced a glance down her lower stomach.

"Oh shit." Y/N repeated Hailee’s words and stared at the big piece of green glass embedded into her skin. "Fuck."

"Sorry!" Hailee grimaced in apology as she tentatively grazed the piece of glass to assess the damage.

"Don’t worry." Y/N said through gritted teeth as she tried to subdue the stinging sensation in her lower stomach, "it has to be taken out."

"Wait- do you want me to-? No! No way." Hailee asked when she moved her eyes away from Y/N’s injury and found her Y/E/C eyes staring at her expectantly.

"Hailee please, we still need to drive for a bit more and I am starting to feel dizzy. So we need to take this out and stop me from bleeding out. I would have done it myself but I don’t have enough energy in me to pull it out neatly, I would cause more unnecessary damage. So please, I know I am asking too much, but you are my greatest option right now."

"Geez, talk about ‘no pressure’." Hailee joked and made Y/N chuckle airily under her breath as she smiled fondly at the singer.

"Yeah." Y/N shook her head and looked at Hailee amusedly, "sorry but it is what it is."

"No I got it." Y/N smiled fondly at Hailee and nodded once before letting her continue, "I just don’t want to screw it up. And I don’t want to hurt you."

"Don’t worry, you won’t. You will do great. I will guide you through it all."

"Why do I feel like it’s not your first time being this heavily injured?"

"Because it’s not. I liked to get into a lot of trouble in high school." Hailee smiled mischievously down at her but in her eyes Y/N could see worry and apprehension as she stared into her brown irises.

"Hm, why am I not surprised?" Y/N snorted under her breath and blushed slightly under Hailee’s gaze, "anyway, we should probably focus. I seriously need to take this shit out, you look a little pale."

"Yeah, yeah. It also hurts like a bitch. So we should hurry."

"Okay-." Hailee took a big, deep breath to ground herself and closed her eyes to focus, a few seconds passing before she opened them once again and with her index finger and thumb took a solid hold of the big, broken bottle’s piece. She stared at the glass a couple of seconds, took another deep breath then looked into Y/N’s eyes firmly, "on three. One, two, THREE!"

Y/N groaned out loud, trying not to scream too loudly at the searing pain in her abdomen and closed her eyes shut hard, "ow! Fuck, fuck, fucking shit!" Y/N felt dizzy and hold onto the table’s edge hard to prevent herself to fall on the ground. "Sorry for cursing. It won’t happen again." Y/N murmured quietly after she gained some consciousness, her head spinning slightly and feeling a little bit weak.

"Are you serious right now?" Hailee asked incredulously as she walked to the trash can and dumped the broken bottle’s piece into it and walked back to Y/N to assess her injury. "You were in pain. Hell, you are still in so much pain. There is no need to apologize."

"I know, but I’m still working right now, so I should try to at least be well behaved." Y/N tried to reason with seriousness but the small smile that Hailee sent her way broke her deep serious frown into a big grin of her own as they both chuckled under their breaths.

"I don’t care. You are not working right now. You are a friend that got hurt and I am taking care of you."

"I should consider myself lucky, shouldn’t I?"

"Oh yeah, very lucky actually!" Hailee replied with a serious face as she nodded once before breaking her serious façade with another grin, her hands still lifting Y/N’s shirt up some more to prevent the shirt’s fabric to stick onto Y/N’s deep cut on her lower abdomen, "I will take care of you really good, you’ll see!" Hailee winked playfully before looking down on Y/N’s cut to see if there was any small pieces of glass left that she didn’t take out earlier, luckily there weren’t. When she moved her eyes once again back on Y/N’s face she was met with a small blush on Y/N’s face and a big, mischievous and cheeky grin on her lips. "What?" When Y/N just kept staring at her knowingly, Hailee thought about what she had said and immediately blushed furiously as she fumbled over her words to try to clarify, "NOT LIKE THAT! Y/N!" Hailee slapped gently Y/N’s shoulder, who chuckled softly under her breath.

"Hey! You are the dirty-minded here, you should hit yourself! And I’m injured, I’m in a lot of pain right now, it’s not fair hitting me!" Y/N caressed her left shoulder where Hailee slapped her and chuckled under her breath at their banter.

"Not enough to stop you from being the only dirty-minded here!" Hailee countered back before lifting a challenging eyebrow up when Y/N opened her mouth to try to counter her back. She smirked triumphantly when Y/N shut her mouth and grunted out childishly.

"It’s not my fault, you said it like it was meant to be dirty!" Y/N replied a few moments later and pouted softly, trying to play her trump card and make Hailee relent and say she was the one dirty-minded between them, but it only blackmailed when Hailee smirked cheekily.

"Well, this only proves you are the dirty-minded here. Because even if I decided to specifically say those words with a dirty meaning, I covered it all up with an innocent look and I made it sound innocent. You were the one that caught the dirty meaning behind that phrase. But it wasn’t the case anyway, because I didn’t realize what I said only after you pointed them out, you horndog."

"Ugh, fine you won. Now please, tell me if I need stitches because I seriously need to disinfect the cut before it could get infected."

"Oh yeah! Wait-uhm- how do I know you don’t need stitches?" Hailee asked with an insecure voice, her eyes now back analyzing the cut intensely while her eyebrows were cutely furrowed together in concentration.

"Check the central portion of the cut. How distant are the two flaps of skin?"

"Hm, I think not too much. Maybe just a tad bit of a quarter of an inch."

"Okay, that’s a good thing. You don’t need to patch me up-." Y/N trailed off as she thought over what Hailee said while she tried to see the cut’s damage for herself too.

"Yeah- wait, hold the fuck up. I would’ve had to patch you up? Are you insane?" Hailee asked incredulously and stared at Y/N like she just grew two heads, who simply chuckled in amusement as she shook her head good-naturedly.

"No, I’m Y/N."

"I-hm." Hailee opened her mouth to prepare herself to counter Y/N’s words back, but as soon as her brain registered Y/N’s witty joke, she closed her mouth shut and looked at Y/N unamused. Y/N then chuckled softly under her breath and shook her head, but didn’t add anything else, wanting to hear what Hailee would counter back, excited for their new teasing and bickering dynamic. "Wow Y/N, that was really mature of you, I must admit. Very, very mature."

"What can I say? I’m a book full of surprises and plot twists." Y/N replied with nonchalance, shrugging and smiling innocently at Hailee.

"Unbelievable." Hailee shook her head good-naturedly and rolled her eyes in amusement as she walked to the cabinet where she knew there was the first aid kit and joined Y/N again. She place the bag beside Y/N and grabbed a cotton wool, soaked it with hydrogen peroxide and lifted it to Y/N’s cut. "Okay, this will hurt a little."

"OHW! OWH! OWH! FUCKFUCKSHIT!"

"Almost done, stay put!"

"I’m trying!"

"Not enough!" Y/N grunted at Hailee’s reprimand and tried to stay as still as the excruciating pain on the left side of her lower stomach allowed her to, closing her eyes shut as Hailee cleaned her cut. "Almost done."

"Finally, ugh it hurts so much, shit."

Hailee then stopped altogether when her eyes moved up from the cut just an fraction of second and got met with Y/N’s defined abs, every muscle standing out due to Y/N contracting them from the pain. "Uhm-." Hailee opened and closed her mouth like a damned dumb fish, slapping herself on the forehead in her mind for not getting a grip on herself at the sight of just defined abs and a well-defined body, her hand frozen on the cut.

"Hailee please, hurry- fuck! Ohw, ohw, ohw!"

"Oh, shit! Sorry!" Hailee apologized as she lifted the cotton wool from the ugly cut after she started pressing on it too much without notice in her distracted state and cursed herself under her breath for hurting Y/N more than necessary due to her being an- horndog? A stupid? "Here, done!"

"Uh, fucking finally. Okay, it is starting to subside." Y/N started to breath evenly back a few seconds later Hailee stopped mending her injury and relaxed her previously contracted abdomen when she could just feel a light and small stinging sensation from her lower stomach cut.

"We need to put an antiseptic cream on it otherwise it will get infected." Hailee pointed out as she walked towards the bathroom and opened her medicine cabinet, finding the aforementioned cream after rummaging a bit in the cabinet. "Wow, I need to thank my mom for thinking about everything. She packed a whole pharmacy in my medicine bag."

"A big thank you to Mama Steinfeld." Y/N breathed out as she nodded oxygen Hailee before chuckling softly under her breath with her as Hailee approached Y/N back and opened the bandages.

"Ugh, it looks ugly. Does it hurt a lot?"

"Not as much as before but it still hurts." Y/N explained with a shrug as she looked down at her injury too.

"Okay good. This will sting a bit but it will get it better." Y/N nodded and gritted her teeth to prepare herself for the stinging, flinching just a bit when Hailee’s delicate hand applied the antiseptic cream on Y/N’s cut with a cotton swab.

"Do you want me to blow on it just a bit?" Hailee did all her best to refrain her face to break into a big grin and tried to keep a serious face as she asked the question and it got even more difficult when Y/N looked down at her incredulously but she kept applying the cream not looking at Y/N, fearing she would crack and laugh out loud if she looked into Y/N’s incredulous eyes.

"How old do you think I am?"

"I don’t know, 5 years old?" Hailee then cracked as she looked at Y/N with her bottom lip trapped under her teeth to prevent her smile to broaden but as soon as she met Y/N’s eyes she bursted out laughing.

"Ha-ha very funny." Y/N rolled her eyes good-naturedly and snorted under her breath, her heart fluttering alongside her stomach at the cute laugh Hailee was emitting for her own joke.

"I know, I am hilarious."

"Debatable." Y/N countered back jokingly, "ohw, hey!"

"Sorry!" Hailee smiled apologetically but Y/N saw through that and rolled her eyes at her pushing on her cut at her mocking words.

"Thanks." Y/N breathed out gently as soon as Hailee stopped applying the antiseptic cream and smiled in appreciation for her care and patience.

"Okay, time to patch you up and we’re done!"

"Finally!" Y/N exclaimed out loud, amusing Hailee to no end as she wrapped the bandage around Y/N’s lower stomach. "Thank you."

"You’re welcome." Hailee smiled affectionately at Y/N after placing the other unused bandages back into the emergency kit and looked at her in gratitude, "I actually should be the one thanking you. Not the way around."

"I was just doing my job."

"You almost got hurt badly for it." Y/N shook her head with a soft smile and lifted her hand up in protest.

"It’s nothing. I’ve been worse injured." Y/N admitted with a mix of shyness and resolution, trying to make Hailee stop feeling bad for her.

PART 2

[chlorine-and-daisies]

fics i enjoyed last week!

Confiteor (M) by @adverbian- When the title comes from a prayer for confessing sins, and the tags say it's a marriage proposal, you know this one is going to hit. It's made up of Aziraphale's thoughts and a conversation with Crowley after all of the fighting is done- a forgiving, poetic, and grown-up kind of epilogue. As a 3k word oneshot, every phrase is intentional, and it definitely has that crafted emotional impact. I liked that we don't actually see Armageddon Part 2, but are able to piece together what happened from their dialogue. It's rated M for some *very lightly* implied masturbation at the start and sex at the end (just a few lines), but imo the real reason is because it's a mature take on the characters and their inner motivations. If the Final Fifteen is still hurting you, and you wish Aziraphale and Crowley would just sit down and talk, read this.

Terminus (T) by BraveLight (@emotional-support-demon-crowley)- This is a really unique AU where Aziraphale is an astronaut on a decades-long mission and Crowley is the mission controller responsible for bringing him home! But things get complicated quickly when a. they are absolutely whipped for each other and b. the company that started the mission may not actually want it to succeed! I love the characterization of Aziraphale, Crowley, and the Them in this one. They mainly communicate through calls, and the dialogue is always funny and sweet. I've gotten invested in the story and the mystery in it. It's currently on chapter 7/16, and I'm looking forward to see where it'll take us next!

You, you're driving me crazy (T) - author anonymous- Aziraphale prepares for his driving test in the 1930s, and tries to remember his lessons in the 40s! This one is clearly written with so much love. The narration and dialogue was perfectly in character, the historical setting is full of fun details, and the side characters were unique without feeling forced in. Aziraphale channeling his inner book detective to save Crowley was so entertaining!

requiem of a fallen angel (T) by viperinz- Aziraphale Falls, and Crowley holds him through it. This one is adorable, painful, and powerful hurt-comfort that made me laugh and cry. Yes, it was on my previous list too, and I'm recommending it again this week because the author just finished the sixth and final chapter, and the ending was soft and a satisfying wrap-up, plot-wise, symbolically, and emotionally!!

And for this week's deep cut: city continues on, alone (G) by burnttongueontea (@aziraphale-rights) from 2020! This is a oneshot that takes place in an AU where Adam turned Aziraphale and Crowley human, and they've settled down in the South Downs cottage. In it, Aziraphale returns to London after selling the bookshop. I know, I know- becoming human? Selling a single book, let alone the shop? Those are fighting words!!! But I would really encourage you to keep an open mind and give this a read. The descriptions of London are so vivid and Aziraphale's characterization is great, full of nostalgia and experience and love. It's sad, but there's humor in it too. The author really explores the idea of longing for a place and time in a way that not too many do. We're writing about immortals in this fandom and yet we often forget the weariness that comes along with watching everything go by. Not only that, but the author uses the human AU to tell a very human story about missing a place that no longer exists and watching it change as you start to age. It came as no surprise when I looked in the comments after reading and saw them talking about how they wrote it at a time when they were personally homesick for London! This is the purpose of all good writing- to write about the human experience, to connect to your characters, to tell a story only you could tell.

So yeah! This was a really great week of reading for me. I originally intended to share these lists every weekend- this is only my second post, and I'm already falling behind (it was finals week)! But don't worry, I'm still here to highlight recent work and share my opinions in long rants. I tried to tag all the authors whose Tumblrs I could find, but as always please let me know if I've missed one.

Please add your own recommendations (including self-promotion), and I hope you will enjoy these stories as much as I did!

[beezusvreeland]

dear reader - chapter 3

summary: Miguel took the reader’s love and friendship for granted. Something he learns reading her column, when it’s too late…Or is it?

ship: miguel o'hara x f!reader // matt murdock x reader

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Chapter 3

Two weeks passed, but it might as well be an entire lifetime. Edinburgh suited you very well. The cold early mornings that turned into very nice afternoons and ended with you making sure the heater was on for the night. You woke up at the dorms provided by the school, made yourself a nice Earl Grey tea, got ready and walked your way to class. 

You picked a different path every day, but there was no denying that walking by Victoria Street in the Grassmarket area was your favorite way to get to university. It was just so charming: bright colored walls, cobblestones and unique shops. You had even read somewhere that it was the inspiration for Diagon Alley in the Harry Potter books. There really was something magical about that city.

A couple of mornings a week, you had a writing workshop titled “The Self and Others: translating feelings into words”, which you couldn’t even believe was a real thing. There were a few familiar faces in the class, but you were drawn to Jessica Drew, the girl you met on your first day, and a younger kid who she took under her wings called Miles Morales. The three of you would always sit next to each other. It was kind of nice.

The workshop was led by professor Otto Octavious, whose passion for writing was infectious. So much so, that your peers affectionately called him “the last romantic” behind his back. 

“Today is a beautiful day to increase your word count”, the teacher joked, making the class erupt in laughter. “Usually we start the day with a discussion, but I’d like to do something a little different today.”

“Always keeping us in our toes, huh, professor?”, Miles teased.

“You know it, mr. Morales”, professor Octavious said, a smile on his face. “Most of you have been writing for a long time, so you probably have already learned about one of the biggest challenges a non fiction writer faces: most times, what happens in real life is so unbelievable, it doesn’t translate well to the page.”

The professor gets up from his chair and writes the name “Dani Shapiro” on the chalkboard. “That’s the name of one of the most prolific non fiction writers today. She has a quote about our craft that I always carry near my heart: ‘Writers are outsiders. Even when we seem like insiders, we’re outsiders. We have to be. Our noses pressed to the glass, we notice everything. We mull and interpret. We store away clues, details that may be useful to us later’.”

The room was quiet, except for professor Octavius’ voice. You could tell, even without looking to your classmates, that what he read had resonated with all of them. It was a perfect description of a sentiment you always had, but were never able to describe. You just thought there was something wrong with you. But there wasn’t. And you were not alone. 

“Let that sink in for a moment”, the teacher smiled. He knew exactly how the students felt the quote deeply. “Today I’d like for us to do something different. For the next hour, I want you to write about a detail you kept to yourself for a long time. The idea is to describe it and explore the reason you shelved it into your minds for so long. It can be about anything, as long as it is meaningful to you and that you allow yourselves to dive into your own vulnerabilities.” 

After the hour passed, you and your peers would share what you wrote with the rest and discuss it.

You opened a new document on your laptop, taking a deep breath. Obviously you had a whole storage of small details inside your head. But you felt uneasy, something you kept shoving to the side slowly creeping back to you. Or rather, someone. 

As if reading your mind, a notification appeared in the corner of your screen. A new email from no one other than Miguel O’Hara. 

Hey there, how are you? How is Scotland treating you? I hope you are drinking as many pints and visiting as many castles as you can. Congrats about the scholarship, by the way. It’s a big deal and you deserve it. I’m sorry about the whole dinner thing, I really fucked up and haven’t been a good friend to you. I’m sorry about that too. I don’t expect you to forgive me, but if you do, I promise I will do better. 

Anyways, enjoy your time there as much as possible — Hobie and Pav have been complaining that you haven’t sent them pictures so far, thought you should know. 

Miguel

PS: Do you remember my roommate from college I told you about? Peter B. He’s back in town and just the other day showed me an interview you did with Mary Jane Watson. It turned out really good. You always ask very thoughtful questions. 

And just like that, the Miguel area of your heart exploded again.

***

Dear reader,

Just the other day I was talking with my girlfriends about the romantic gestures in books, TV and movies that made us create insane expectations about love. The impromptu declarations, the running in the airport, the showing up unannounced — any decent human being knows you have to at least send the other person a text saying you are coming by. 

I have always been more drawn to the caring gestures and the acts of service. Maybe because that is my own love language. There is a scene in Say Anything… (1989) where Lloyd is walking Diane, the girl he has loved throughout high school, home after a party. They are talking and he is paying so much attention to what she has to say. All of the sudden, Lloyds stops her. There were pieces of glass in her way on the floor. He kicks them to the side and keeps walking, as if it was nothing, just the way things are supposed to be. It gets me everytime. 

I love to bring my friends coffee or even bake them food when they are having really intense weeks at work, helping them out with some errand or impossible shore. Sometimes I feel really silly about it. Especially when it comes to the guy . I know I shouldn’t, but when it comes to him, I feel insane. 

I feel insane because I always have his favorite ice cream in my freezer and the drinks he likes in the refrigerator. In my love drunk brain, these can be excuses to ask him to come up to my apartment, to have him stay more, even if it is just for a few minutes. This is not a tip, by the way. If anything, it is a warning: seeing the person you love enjoying their favorite dessert can make you lose your mind. Be aware.

Once I planned a Fast and Furious marathon. But only from the 5th movie on, when things get out of hand and the franchise becomes something else entirely. It was a way to spend a rainy sunday with snacks and drinking games. I spent saturday cleaning the apartment and buying everything the two of us would need. Imagine my face when some of our other friends showed up as well, because he had invited them. And I love all my friends, but only wanted to spend time with him.

There is also another fictional gesture that has been stuck in my head since I was a pre teen. Before the show, the Gossip Girl books were a huge deal, and I read almost all of them. Each chapter was told from a different character's perspective and Blair’s were my favorite. When she is mourning her relationship with Nate, who was in love with Serena, Blair remembers what they had gone through together. Once, wanting to impress him, she sewed a heart pin inside the sleeve of a sweater she gifted him for a special occasion. It was a way to show him that he literally had her heart under sleeve. It was such a simple and meaningful gesture. Except Nate never noticed. Not while they were together, at least. Isn’t that always the way?

Maybe we were supposed to focus some of that energy on ourselves. The hours of disappointment for the retribution that never happens won’t come back to us. 

I wish I had a more uplifting message today, but this is all I could manage. I hope you understand. 

Meet you here next week. And remember: never take advice from someone who’s falling apart.

Love, 

The writer

***

Miguel felt anxious about your lack of response to his email. He kept trying to reason it in his mind: you were probably really busy…or you were still mad at him. He was sure the fact it took him so long to write to you didn’t help. But the constant checking of his emails and all social media and waiting for a life sign from you was exhausting. Is that what addiction felt like?

Miguel tried to distract himself by taking more workloads and secretly reading your columns. It was fascinating getting to know that side of you, and he wondered why it was so new to him. You were more reserved, of course, but never failed to be there or show interest in his life. He couldn’t remember the last conversation you had that wasn’t about him and his work. It felt horrible knowing that maybe there was a lot you wanted to talk about and he never gave you space to or asked questions about you. Miguel asked himself when he had become that person, or if he had always been that way. And what he could do to make things better, because an apology didn’t seem like enough. 

He took a break from his spreadsheets to check his email inbox and social media. Nothing. So he went back to Bliss ’ archive and read another one of your older columns, the one where you wrote about romantic gestures. That last part had him so confused, he decided to ask for help. Miguel was that desperate.

“Lyla”, he called on his office phone.

“Yes, boss.”

“What is Gossip Girl?”

Lyla remained silent. Miguel was about to call the thing of, saying it was a joke, when she answered, her excited and teasing tone coming through:

“Why do you ask?”

“It’s classified.”

Lyla chuckled. She had noticed her boss had been acting weird lately, but couldn’t quite point her finger at why. 

“Is it for an Alchemax project?”, the assistant tried to keep her language professional. 

“It’s for…a personal one”, Miguel regretted everything, his eyes closed in embarrassment, even though Lyla was in another room.

“Okay…What exactly do you want to know about Gossip Girl?”

“Who are these people, Blair, Nate and Serena? What’s the story?”

She laughed. He should’ve known his assistant would have too much fun with it.

“Lyla…”, Miguel complained.

“Okay okay, sorry, boss, it’s just these are names I never thought I’d hear you say.”

“Just tell me the story.”

“It’s a big one, actually. The show has six seasons.”

“Does Blair end up with Nate?”

“Hell no”, Lyla scoffed. “She marries Chuck.”

“Who the hell is Chuck?”

“Nate’s best friend who, in his own twisted way, actually gave a shit about her.”

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dear reader playlist

[virgo-mess]

Silver Thread- Chapter 9 Part 1

At last, we have made it to the final chapter of Silver Thread which I've cut into two parts for length purposes. Be on the lookout for part 2 which should be uploaded after this part has been up for a while. My plan thereafter is still the same there will be a short fluffy smutty epilogue set about 5 or 6 weeks after the events of this chapter. I will try to get Silver Bells up and ready before the month lets out it is in the spirit of Valentine's Day after all. I am still aiming for 6 shorter chapters with that story and a decent length epilogue, but I've decided to leave Veda and Terry's story a little more open ended, so I have space to revisit them in the future. Expect some one shots and glimpses into their lives after the events of these stories in the future guys!

I appreciate those of you who have made it this far. This story ended up being way bigger than I originally intended back in September, but I'm not mad about it. It's hard to believe I basically wrote a novel in five months, but here we are. I hope you enjoy where this story has ended up as much as I have with all that being said get to reading and enjoy all the different head spaces we get to dwell in and the vague back stories we get for our trusty sidekicks in this chapter!!!

TW: Missing people that have somewhat been presumed to be murdered, mentions of assault both violent and sexual, detailed descriptions of injuries after a traumatic event, brotherly cry sessions, meddlesome and emotionally abusive parents, one mention of an inappropriate relationship with a minor it's very brief but it is there, lots of tears guys and I'm sorry if any of you shed a few, tender moments to boot, sidekick backstories and I think that's about it for this part guys.

PS: I hope you mobile readers appreciate my choice in emoji scene dividers 🤭

Terry’s Pov

Terry let out a long sigh, trying not to look as bored or as worried as he felt as Walter Getty droned on and on about all the models and beauty queens, he met at whatever event he went to months ago. Terry was more than aware he was just trying to pique his interest on at least one of the airheads he was talking about, he hadn’t missed the way Walter overtly ogled at Veda the minute he spotted them across the ballroom or the way he’d been brazenly trying to woe her all night. Terry had been keen to let Walter snake women he was no longer interested in out from under him in the past because it beat having the dreaded breakup talks, soothing the onset of waterworks that were sure to ensue as a result of said talk, and saved Milos and Margaret the trouble of answering and delivering the disgruntled messages his past connections would leave for him. But Veda wasn’t someone he’d ever let slip through his fingertips.

“I think you’d really like Miss Brazil, Miss Mexico, or both I know you aren’t really a one girl kind of guy after all, Terry.” Walter said obnoxiously, Terry resisted the urge to roll his eyes as he stared back at Walter with a steely eyed glare. The jazz music swelled indicating they were now taking the last bids for the auction items and winners would soon be announced. Terry couldn’t help but anxiously search for a flash of Veda’s tiny little burgundy dress, he had been dying to get her out of that dress since she popped out of the closet in it, even more so after her giving him the greenlight to finally take their relationship to the next level. After those words fell out of those plump little lips of hers, for a moment Terry thought he was dreaming again. Veda had been dwelling in his heated dreams for months now and even when they finally started dating, they rarely ever stopped even though she’d be lying right on his chest. She filled his thoughts, dreams, and heart Terry knew that if he lost her his world would never make sense again.

“Look, Walter, in the past I’ve let you think that you had successfully swindled a long string of women out of my clutches, but I assure you if I wanted any of them to still be on my arm they would be. I see my generosity has made you a little cocky, so I’m going to say this once and if you continue making my sweet Veda uncomfortable after I’ve said it Larry, and I are both going to have a little talk with you and I’m sure you know how those little talks go. Don’t you Walt?” Terry asked forcing a polite enough looking smile on his steely face, Walter pursed his lips finally shutting up for the second time tonight as he slowly nodded his head.

“Take it easy, Terry, I meant no offense. Veda is a very beautiful girl you know but she’s not really the type of girl your father would approve of now is she. I mean, sure, she’s a lot smarter than a majority of you past flames but at the end of the day she’s just a regular girl who doesn’t have a penny to her name. I can’t believe you even put that ring on her finger, have you even introduced her to your parents yet. I just thought I could spare you both the heartache, I mean it’s not like your dad is going to let you marry her anyway. I could take really good care of her you know” Walter said with an aura of mock sincerity in his tone, Terry’s expression hardened, and he leant a bit closer to Walter with a sinister look in his blue eyes.

“My father doesn’t have a say in what I do or who I marry, and you and Julia are more than welcome to tell him that because Veda isn’t going anywhere lest of all with a disgusting predator like you. Did you think I didn’t hear about you knocking up that poor little girl, Walt what was she fourteen, you paid off her mom and dad to keep it hush hush so they wouldn’t press charges. If you touch a hair on Veda’s head believe you won’t live long enough to pay me off. You can tell my parents I don’t really care if they ever meet her or approve of her because it won’t change the fact that she’s the woman I am going to marry. You tell them, if they want me to get back to them on that dinner invite sometime within the next decade, they’re just going to have to accept that. So, when my Veda comes back here you will not ogle at her again, and you will not try to talk her up if I feel her so much as shift uncomfortably into my side one more time tonight. Walter, I will not help fund your museum and I won’t be generous enough to warn you about what’ll be coming for you. Larry adores Veda as much as I do and he will do whatever it takes to help me protect her, now I know you remember Larry and what he used to do back in Texas very well, Walt. Don’t you?” Terry said in a hushed, menacing tone. Walter leaned away from him slightly, and Terry was more than happy to see fear swirl in his beady little eyes, anyone that thought they could threaten her spot in his life deserved to feel that way and he couldn’t wait to finish what he started with the last people that dared to do such a thing. Walt nodded frantically.

“Yes, Mr. Silver, I apologize. I didn’t realize that you and Miss. LaRusso are so set in stone. I’ll be sure to let your father know that you actually…” Walter for once seemed to be at a loss for words he looked around the gala with weary eyes. Terry once again let his eyes search for Veda and Margaret, they should’ve been back now, the lines to the ladies’ room were always ridiculous but the head of the Foster Care organization had already got through announcing a fair chunk of the winners after making his speech. Terry resolved to go look for them after he got through to the gross Walter Getty.

“Love her, Walt, I love Veda and you can tell my father that though you might have to pull out a dictionary for him because I doubt he knows what that word really means. Now, if we have come to a little understanding here, I’d like to go look for my sweet girlfriend and witty secretary. You better count yourself lucky though Walter if Margaret had heard anything you had just said in the last few minutes, she’d have your head on a platter right now” Terry said coolly, Walter looked at him with an unreadable expression for a long moment as the organization announced Margaret Spencer as the winner of an all-inclusive trip to Hawaii. Terry searched again for any glimpse of deep burgundy or navy blue in the sea of people, he finally rose to his feet as the man announced Margaret’s name two more times before setting her prize aside.

“Terry, your father cares about you I know he doesn’t show it that well, but he talks about you all the time you know, misses you even” Walter said lowly, Terry brushed him off with a curt, humorless chuckle before heading off in the direction his sweet girl had disappeared to. Terry was sure she was probably just adorably gaping at the ceiling somewhere, but he still wanted to make sure she was okay and to tell Margaret she won a trip to Hawaii. Terry chuckled softly to himself as he neared the near deserted restrooms just off the ballroom, if Margaret had just asked, he would’ve happily given her an all-inclusive trip as part of her Christmas bonus. She, Larry, and Milos definitely deserved a great trip for sticking with him through this amazing seven-month rollercoaster he had taken them on. He was glad to see they seemed to be enjoying it just as much as he was through, they doted on Veda almost as much as Terry did these days.

“Veda, Margaret are you okay?” Terry asked, cracking the restroom door open a smidge hoping Veda’s honey like voice would float out at him and ease some of his nerves. He called one more time before letting the restroom door close shut gently.

“There are other restrooms on the second-floor balcony, as well as the ones down in our new Reserve bar downstairs. It’s very beautiful down there, I’ve noticed that your date gapes at all the architecture, it’s really the cutest thing and she’s so sweet. You can reach both the balcony and the Reserve by main staircase or the elevators” a very kind venue attendant caught his attention as she motioned towards the elevators and elegant staircase with a polite smile on her face. Terry flashed her one back for paying Veda a nice compliment out of the blue, but Veda seemed to have that effect on everyone they came across. Terry wished he could assume everyone had the best intentions with his sweet girl, but he knew that wasn’t the case which is why finding her now was imperative for him.

“Thank you, Miss” Terry responded with a courteous smile of his own, the attendant nodded her head in acknowledgement and gave him a small wave farewell. Terry ventured a little further down the hallway and hit the elevator button anxiously, he was sure Veda and Margaret were fine, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was amiss as he stepped into the elevator swiftly. He decided to act on the advice of the attendant and pushed the button for the Reserve room downstairs, hoping to find his little angel marveling at another paining innocently. Terry was so glad her meeting with the USC dean of admissions went so well, though Veda had no idea that the grant and the scholarship the dean was referring to were ones he’d be funding anonymously. Terry had come to realize Veda wouldn’t accept him paying for all of her schooling no matter how much she loved him, she had a thirst for knowledge, independence, and wanted to make her own path. Terry found that trait of hers incredibly endearing and deserving of admiration, Veda was one of the few people in the world that didn’t care about his money and Terry thought that was what made her the most deserving of it. She had sacrificed her time and happiness for her selfish little brother, the least Terry could do was give some of it back to her, he knew one day she might figure out he was behind it all. Terry hoped by then it would be too late for her to do anything about it if she ever tried to pay him back he’d simply put the money towards something else she desperately wanted

The elevator doors slid open to reveal a very elegant looking evening bar with gilded ceilings and a large vault door that led to a second room with two glistening chandeliers. Terry stepped out of the elevator feeling a bit more confident that this was most likely where Veda and Margaret disappeared to. He knew her well enough to know this was exactly the type of room that might induce one of her adorable little doe eyed marvel sessions. Terry walked toward the circular vault entrance and peered into the room, there were quite a few gala goers sat on the leather sofas, but Veda and Margaret were not among them. Terry felt the hairs raise on the back of his neck as his blue eyes desperately searched for a single spot of burgundy in the dimly lit room, he could hear the swell of more lively music in the floor above him before it died down completely. The shrill ring of the telephone near the bar cut through the dull chattering of the few guests sat on the sofas, the bartender answered it rather quickly and Terry could infer something happening upstairs was indeed amiss. The bartender’s dull brown eyes swirled with the slightest hint of fear in the red tinted lighting above them. Terry straightened out a bit, taking a few steps towards the bar when the bartender put the phone back on the hook with a curious look in his eyes. The bartender’s shift in demeanor and the abrupt cut off of the music in the ballroom had Terry’s heart swelling with concern almost immediately, his eyes were still flicking across the room and back through the doorway he just walked to for a flash of Veda’s soft black curls. Terry neared the bar trying not to sound as anxious as he felt as he watched the bartender frantically flit around behind the gilded bar, almost like he was closing for the night.

“Sorry, sir, you’ll have to place your drink order back up in the ballroom the Reserve will be closing for the remainder of the gala so if you could please head back upstairs” The bartender said dismissively, Terry tensed giving him a steely glare in return as he watched him fumble some beer bottles into a bin.

“May I ask why” Terry said flatly, he didn’t miss the nervous way the bartender’s lip twitched as his frantic hands hastily cleaned off the bar top. His anxious brown eyes glanced behind Terry for a moment before settling on his face, Terry had seen that expression a few times before. There was some emergency upstairs that the staff was doing their best to conceal, once it was over, they’d feed guests some random story about technical difficulties so they wouldn’t tarnish their establishment’s reputation. This only served to make Terry more anxious as Veda and Margaret were nowhere to be found, all the other event rooms were closed off there were only a few other places they could be. Terry supposed he could do another sweep of the ballroom before heading up to the balcony, if they weren’t there that only left the lobby and if they weren’t in the lobby Terry didn’t know where he and Larry should begin to look.

“Just protocol, sir, nothing to worry about. You and your friends enjoy the rest of your evening, the one with the slings looks like he could use a good time and a strong drink” the bartender said trying to lighten the mood with a tight smile. Terry furrowed his brows at the bartender, his mind was still trained on finding Veda so he couldn’t bring himself to think about what or who he might be referring now.

“What, no, I’m down here looking for my girlfriend and my secretary. Have you seen this girl?” Terry asked quickly pulling his wallet out of his pocket he pulled out one of the polaroid’s he had taken this weekend, he hated the way the bartender’s eyes practically lit up as they peered down at the picture. If Terry wasn’t so desperate to find Veda right now, he’d have no trouble knocking the guy silly for ogling at her picture so overtly.

“Wow, I can see why you’re desperate to find that one unfortunately, sir, I haven’t seen her and believe me I’d definitely remember her” the bartender said with  a smirk, Terry glared back at him blankly before tucking the photo back into his wallet gingerly his mind was reeling as it thought of what could’ve possible happened to his little angel. The bartender flashed him an apologetic sort of smile with something resembling pity swirling in his eyes.

“You and slings aren’t having the best night, huh, the other kid looked like he’d been through it too I’m surprised security even let him in with those muddy jeans he’s wearing. I’m not supposed to give out anything else once I’ve closed down the bar but here. Just don’t tell anyone where you got it from” he said handing Terry an unopened bottle of Macallan scotch, Terry furrowed his brows trying to process what the bartender was really saying as he took the scotch from him. Terry’s face hardened as he finally registered who the young bartender could possibly be referring to, Chad Johnson was undoubtedly the only person within a twenty mile radius that happened to have both of his arms in a sling. Part of Terry’s payback for Chad’s misdeeds at the pier a number of weeks ago was to make sure the kid couldn’t touch anything, a dislocated elbow in one arm and a slight fracture in his other seemed sufficient enough to get the lesson to really sink in. The added restraining order and getting him kicked out of Berkley was just a means to rub salt in the wound, a bonus to the extensive list of misfortune Terry Silver had single handedly caused him. Terry let out a low growl as his blue eyes darted across the near empty Reserve bar trying to catch a flash of Chad Johnson’s mangled golden boy locks. Terry’s lesson must not have sunk in if Chad Johnson was already in violation of his restraining order, Terry felt his heart sink into his stomach as he thought of who Chad had brought with him tonight.

“What did the kid in the muddy jeans look like and do you happen to know where they might be?” Terry asked coolly, keeping his tone nice and even though his blue eyes were blazing as they bore into the bartender intensely.

“Um, he’ about five foot nine with sandy brown hair and brown eyes they came down here not too long ago asking if I’d seen a tall guy with a ponytail which I can only assume is you, sir. I’m pretty sure I just spotted them in the lounge area just outside this door” Terry turned away from the bartender without uttering another word and rushed back into the lounge to find Chad Johonson and a disheveled looking Tommy Russell by his side. Terry watched their frantic looking eyes sweep around the empty lounge before settling on his tall looming figure across the room. Terry could tell they were anxious by the vein slightly bulging on the side of Tommy’s neck and the way Chad refused to meet his sinister gaze. Terry stalked towards them with an unreadable expression on his stony face taking the way Tommy put his arms up like he was waving a white flag from across a war zone.

“Look man, we’re not here to start anything with you, alright. I’m sorry about my behavior at the pier there’s no justification for what I did” Tommy said looking up at Terry with frantic but sincere looking brown eyes, Terry maintained his stony expression trying to decide if the look was actually sincere or if Tommy was just acting.

“And what can we attribute this shift in your moral compass to, are you missing your Camero’s pristine paint job, or did Dutch not pay you enough for the intel you gathered at the pier” Terry said flatly, Tommy sighed giving Chad a gentle nudge to the ribs, but Chad kept his eyes trained on the floor and let out a long-winded sigh of his own.

“I was the one that told Dutch what happened at the pier, Tommy asked me not to tell him, but I did it anyway so if anyone is to blame for what happened and what is happening now its me. I’m so sorry, I didn’t think…” Chad trailed softly, Terry cocked his head to the side looking between the two boys for a long moment as he pondered exactly how to respond. He hadn’t been expecting to get an apology and as much as he hated to say it, he wasn’t the one they owed an apology to.

“I’m not really the one you should be apologizing to, I’m not the one who wakes up from nightmares every night and I’m not the one who had to completely uproot my life to get some semblance of safety back in it. Why are you even here, surely you know you’re violating that restraining order you earned yourself don’t think a half-assed apology is going to keep me from calling the cops. I don’t take people upsetting and threatening my girl lightly and neither does my staff” Terry said coolly, noting the very serious yet frightened expression that spread across both boy’s faces he could faintly hear some sort of commotion happening on the floor above them. Terry never let his eyes stray from the offending pair taking in the sudden shift in their body language as they heard the commotion too.

“Look, sir, we know it might be hard to believe that you can trust us but you’re going to have to if you don’t want Veda getting hurt tonight, alright. Dutch is here and he’s gone completely insane he was saying a ton of crazy shit before he attacked me with a stun gun. I don’t think… I mean he was vague, but I think he wants to kill Veda tonight and if he doesn’t do that, he wants to…” Chad trailed looking back at him with serious looking green eyes, Terry stiffened feeling his heart plumet into his stomach once more. He searched for a tell nestled in the pair of green or brown eyes in front of him, but he couldn’t find one. Each pair had nothing but genuine concern and sincerity swirling within them as they stared back into his blue ones. Terry let out a shaky breath as it dawned on him that Dutch had most likely gotten to Veda and Margaret already; a large grandfather clock’s melodic chimes rang above them just as a blood curdling scream ricochets throughout the otherwise quiet venue. Terry felt the blood drain from his face as his took off towards the grand golden staircase to his left he’d recognize one of Veda’s horrified screams anywhere. They often echoed through the still halls of the Ennis House in the wee small hours of the morning, they had the power to pull Terry out of even the deadest of sleeps. The gleaming chandelier that hung over the staircase resembled the gleaming Christmas lights Terry had strung up in their bedroom as he ascended the staircase as fast as he could. He could hear Tommy and Chad’s faint pattering feet behind him as he reached the top of the staircase only to be met with a sea of horrified gala guests impeding his jaunt to save Veda from the monsters that plagued her past. Terry shoved past as many guests as he could, paying no mind to how rough or how gentle he was being as he pushed his way to the lobby.  

Terry sank to the ground in despair, watching the malicious red taillights disappear, the last time he felt such an overwhelming amount of torment and anguish he was locked in a cage. The police sirens were wailing all around him, but he couldn’t bring himself to acknowledge any of it, he sat on the ground and pulled his knees into his chest. He vaguely felt Larry or Margaret place a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he kept his eyes trained on the ground trying to comprehend why he wasted so much time intimidating Walter Getty surely if he had left the conversation when he wanted to Veda would still be by his side, Margaret wouldn’t have a concussion, and they’d all be happily dancing in the ballroom right now, probably discussing a way for everyone to go on Margaret’s all-inclusive getaway. Terry’s despair quickly shifted to a realm of unadulterated anger, mostly at himself for not seeing that he should’ve taken Dutch out first instead of wasting his time dishing out petty grievances to Tommy and Chad. Dutch was always the bigger threat to his sweet Veda; he never should have underestimated the sick kids’ ability to pull off a successful kidnapping he spent so long assuring Veda this wouldn’t happen and just when she started to believe him it did. Terry felt his heart twinge with guilt and did his best to keep the tears brimming his blue eyes from pouring over, he had to fix this he had to save Veda and he had to do it now.

“Mr. Silver, Margaret and I are supposed to give our statements but how about you and I can go looking right now Chad and Tommy gave me a list of places we could start.” Larry said in his deep Texan vibrato just as the chief of police approached them, Terry looked at the officer sharply as he slowly rose to his feet finally finding a strength he couldn’t when he was in the hellish cage. Assessing for the first time that he couldn’t find it then because nothing else mattered to him this much back then, he had nothing to live for and now he did.

“I want every cop in a hundred-mile radius on this case now, once Margaret gives you her statement one of your officers needs to take her home to rest. Larry and I are going to drive around and look for them” Terry said firmly, the chief of police gave him a weary look.

“I know you’re all a bit on edge right now but let the police do their job we have to question everyone here first including both of you.” The chief tried to reason, Larry gave him a discerning look and took an intimidating step forward.

“No, we’re going to start looking first and then you’ll get your statements. What we have now is a CLEAR alert, chief, one we wouldn’t be having if your department did your job weeks ago when that little girl went to you asking for a restraining order against the kid that just violently abducted her. Now I don’t know how they do things where you’re from, chief but where I’m from we don’t take little girls being dragged by their hair or being abducted at knifepoint lightly. Since your department messed up we’re going to do this our way, get over there, do your job, and send out an alert for Veda LaRusso. Margaret here will give you all the extra details and then you’ll take her home just like Terry Silver told you to or your badge will be on the line understand.” Larry said vehemently, the chief took a meek looking step back and nodded his head frantically.

“Yes, sir, I’m sorry there appears to have been a miscommunication down the line. The call said there was a violent person on the premises, we weren’t aware the situation escalated before we got here. I’ll send out the alert right away, I just need her age, a description of what she was wearing, and a description of what she looks like and the vehicle he took her in.” The chief said pulling out a pen and paper.

“Nineteen, burgundy cocktail dress and sheer black tights, she has black hair, brown eyes, and is about 5 foot 2. The car is a light blue Cadillac Fleetwood, Margaret can you tell them anything else they need to know” Terry said softly, Margaret looked at him with an uncharacteristic pleading blue eyes Terry sighed looking at the white bandage sticking out from under her light blonde hair. He knew she was gearing up to fight him on his stance, if she wasn’t hurt, he might consider letting her tag along, but she was, and Terry didn’t want to think about what might happen to her if he and Larry did successfully hunt down Dutch. It was very clear Dutch had no woes when it came to hurting women in general and Terry didn’t think he could handle losing another important woman in his life tonight he was already dreading the phone call he would surely have to make to Lucielle LaRusso soon.

“Mr. Silver, the paramedics said I’m fine, I can help you and Larry search” Terry shushed her and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, Margaret’s eyes were still pleading but her shoulder untensed at the feel of his hand.

“Margaret, please, I need you to go back to the Ennis house and rest for now. If Veda gets away, home might be the first place she’ll go and what if she’s hurt and can’t get in, Milos is there but he doesn’t know what’s happening.” Terry said softly, Margaret narrowed her eyes at him Terry could tell she caught on to what he was really doing and why he was doing it, but he was relieved to see her urge to fight him on it slowly evaporate from her sad, pale blue eyes.

“Okay, promise me you’ll call if you find out anything or if you want me to call up some of Larry’s friends from Texas alright” Margaret said firmly, Terry nodded his head and gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder and something resembling a reassuring smile before he followed Larry to the car.

“Hey, tall guy, wait” Tommy Russell’s voice came flooding towards Terry just as he opened the Rolls Royce door, Terry glanced over at Tommy’s approaching figure before deciding to meet the kid halfway. He figured he at least owed him and Chad something for their change of heart even though none of this would’ve happened if they had just left Veda alone that day on the pier. Even Terry had to admit this outcome was partially his fault too, if he hadn’t wasted so much time dishing out petty grievances instead of dealing with the biggest threat to his and Veda’s little Eden none of them would be in this situation right now. Tommy panted softly under his breath as he handed Terry a crinkled piece of yellow paper with sloppy writing scrawled on it.

“This is a list of all the places Dutch likes to hangout in the top half are his favorite places in general, the middle ones are where he likes to do his drug deals, and the bottom half is the list of properties his family owns as well as the places his dad does reality for. I couldn’t get the full list of course but I gave that older lady the number of the office he works out of so she can call as soon as they open.” Tommy said, Terry looked down at the long list and felt his stomach churn uncomfortably wishing he knew the best place to start.

“Thanks kid, uh, you don’t have to worry about your spot at Berkley it might be too late for me to get Chad back in, but I can pay for the damages I made to your Camero and tell Chad I’ll pay him the money he already wasted on tuition…” Terry said softly, Tommy flashed him a weary smile that didn’t quite meet his eyes though Terry didn’t really expect it to. Terry was surprised to see how quickly his perception of Tommy Russell had shifted within the last half hour. Behind his brown eyes he could see a semblance of the youthful innocence he saw in Veda’s; it was the same kind of innocence that lived in Twig’s eyes in what felt like a lifetime ago. Terry often wondered if anybody could still see it in his eyes even now though he felt like Veda was proof that some of it still lived within him.

“Don’t worry about that, sir, this is all my fault anyway. I was just being a jealous idiot at the pier and tonight even I should’ve asked Dutch more questions before I even agreed to give him a ride and I’m sorry. I really hope you guys find her, Veda is a wonderful person, and she deserves to be happy. I’m glad she seems to have found that with you…” Tommy said sincerely, Terry sighed letting a large hand fall on top of Tommy’s shoulder with a soft sort of expression on his face. Terry had seen this a scene like this play out a lifetime ago only he had been the one receiving a strong brotherly hand on his shoulder from a tall guy with a ponytail.

“Terry, you can call me Terry” he said, watching Tommy’s brown eyes light up, and a real smile graced the boy’s face as he stuck out a hand towards him. Terry grasped it with his free hand as the pair shared a look of understanding and respect.

            Larry drove off into the LA night, his grey eyes were trained on the road while Terry’s blue eyes would flick from the list of potential locations that Tommy gave them and the dreary LA cityscape. They drove from Hollywood to Pasadena and then from Pasadena to Encino, turned over every stone possible but found nothing, not even a single trace that either Dutch or Veda had been there or would be there. Terry grew more and more anxious with every abortive stop they made, Larry pulled the black Rolls Royce in to a dimly lit gas station around 2 am and killed the engine. They’d been driving in a tense silence for the last hour or so only speaking when it came to directions or to decide which place to go next. Terry sighed throwing his head back against the seat as he crossed off another location on the crinkled sheet of yellow paper in his hands. There were only a handful of stops left on the long list and he wasn’t sure what he would when they finally hit them all and Veda still wasn’t back in his arms, he felt Larry’s weary grey eyes linger on him for a long moment, but he couldn’t bring himself to look at him. Instead, he trained his blue eyes on the payphone lit up near the gas station building, he knew Lucielle LaRusso’s phone number by heart now, but he was sure she was sleeping by now. Terry had been dreading this phone call since they left Hollywood, he hadn’t worked out how to tell Lucielle exactly what happened tonight. How he failed her and Veda so greatly in the span of a few hours, how to tell her there was a possibility that neither of them would see her daughter alive again. Terry felt tears well in his eyes for the second time tonight and this time they were closer to spilling over because Lucielle was another one of the few important women in his life.

            “I’m sorry kid, this is all my fault I should’ve never let him walk out that door with her, but he had that knife against her neck and I just… I didn’t know what to do” Larry sighed out with a slight crack in his deep Texan drawl as he stared out the windshield with watery grey eyes. Terry placed a firm hand on his forearm but still couldn’t bring himself to look at the slightly older man because the tears finally spilled over just as Terry was digging through his pocket for a quarter or two.

            “Don’t say that Larry, you did the best you could do given the circumstances, and I can’t say I would’ve done anything differently if I were in your shoes. I mean I couldn’t even break her window because I was afraid, I’d hurt her, a few cuts would’ve healed up just fine, but this won’t if anyone failed it was me and she watched me do it.” Terry said lowly, he felt Larry place a callused hand on top of his own in a brotherly manner that was reminiscent of the hands Ponytail and John used to place on him. Terry repressed a sob as Larry clasped another calloused hand on the back of his neck and pulled him in for a brief hug.

            “You didn’t fail, and Veda is not gonna to think you did and her mom’s not gonna think that either, I wish I could tell you everything is gonna be alright kid, but I can’t. What I can tell you is that didn’t fail her or anyone else, to hell with what your dad tells you, to hell with what anyone tells you. We’re gonna get through this together, I promise, just breathe” Larry in a soft firm tone and trailed his thumb in soothing circles on the back of Terry’s neck, the two softly cried together for a good while until Terry finally calmed down enough to pull away.

            “You alright” Larry said softly, he didn’t remove his hand until Terry nodded his head uttering a soft ‘Yeah’. Terry took a deep breath wiping the last of his tears on the sleeve of his burgundy blazer and giving Larry a half smile through the dim orange yellow glow that was flooding through the car’s windows.

            “Good, here’s a couple of quarters do you need me to go with you?” Larry asked seriously wiping away a few tears of his own before handing Terry a handful of quarters. Terry shook his head as he accepted the handful of quarters from him gently.

            “No, it’s alright you can gas up and then we’ll get going.” Terry said opening his door slowly and stepping out into the cool summer air.

The later morning hours crept in quickly, but Terry wasn’t tired, he knew he’d never rest until he found his Veda, or his body gave out on him and shut down. He wasn’t sure which option was worse, it had been nearly seven hours since Dutch Howard ripped his sweet girl out of his clutches, there were so many horrible things he could’ve done to her by now and every passing hour decreased the likelihood of finding her alive. Terry felt his stomach churn uncomfortably as Larry silently pulled the car through the Ennis House gates, he didn’t think he could live in a world without her in it. Terry caught sight of a very anxious looking Margaret and Milos in the entryway as Larry threw the Rolls Royce in park for the first time since they made a stop at the gas station some time ago. Terry silently stepped out of the car, not waiting for Larry to come around and open his door for him for the first time in a while and sluggishly made his way up the concrete path.

“Morning, Mr. Silver, the authorities did inform us that they have Mr. Howard in their custody, but Veda wasn’t with him when they got him. He is insisting he doesn’t know where she is but the shoes, she was wearing last night were with him and um there was quite a bit of blood on his clothes. Chief Ramsey sent it out to get tested, but it’ll be a while before they get the results and other than that Mr. Howard is refusing to talk. You still have a board meeting scheduled for this morning and if it were any other day, sir you know I’d cancel but we postponed it for you take your trip….” Margaret said just above a whisper, Terry sighed not meeting her gaze as he walked past to her and into the entrance hall the house seemed so cold, so lifeless without Veda here with him to light it up.

“Cancel it, after I clean myself up then I’m heading back out to find her. Larry, go get some rest I can take the Corniche” Terry said, trying not to acknowledge the fact that Dutch Howard was currently sitting in a station interview room with Veda’s precious blood as he ventured up the stairs.

“Mr. Silver, I’m sorry but I can’t let you miss this one, you know Marcus is after your chair as CEO and you not showing up will be all he needs to get signatures on his petition” Margaret said frantically, Terry brushed her off and rushed down the loggia and into the lifeless master bedroom he busied himself with a quick shower and opted for a casual summer suit to really drive the point home. Margaret sighed when Terry emerged from the bedroom with a stony-faced Larry by her side.

“Sir, I don’t mind driving you really you know I can function on just as little sleep as you can, but Margaret is right. Do you think you could at least make an appearance at the board meeting for appearance’s sake? You don’t have to stay the whole time I’m sure even Marcus could understand you cutting the meeting short. If our results turn up unsuccessful today you know I have Wild Bert on speed dial” Larry asked softly, Terry sighed looking between them for a long moment before training his eyes on his shoes.

“Mr. Silver, I’ll be here to listen for the phones so I can deliver messages if anything important comes up and having Margaret at the office would be a great thing too, we’ll have all our bases covered, don’t you think? I gave Larry my pager to use when the meeting is over” Milos said encouragingly, Terry sighed again feeling a bit defeated, they weren’t wrong sparing a few minutes to chew out Marcus wouldn’t take that long, and he and Larry could be back on the road within twenty minutes. At least by then there would be more businesses open and more people out and about on the streets of LA on their morning commute. If Veda was lost at least, she’d have somewhere to take shelter or call, Terry ignored the twinge in his chest at the thought of someone stumbling upon her in such a vulnerable state. He was considering calling up Wild Bert and his crew just to be her security detail if he, when he found her.

“Fine but let’s make it fast alright and we should still take the Corniche because that’s a car Veda will recognize immediately if she’s still…” Terry trailed calmly before descending the stairs and rushing to the garage, he couldn’t bring himself to even think the rest of that statement as he tossed Larry the keys and sat in the passenger’s seat. The ride to Dynatox felt like an eternity without her by his side, when she was there time seemed to move differently his nights and days revolved around her because she was his sun and his entire reason for being now. Terry threw his head back against the seat the top was still down because Veda loved feeling the golden summer sun on her perfect tan skin. Terry’s blue eyes took in the current state of the gloomy LA sky, it hardly ever rained during the LA summers but today it looked like it might forgo its natural inclination and weep for once. If that happened surely, they’d weep together in mourning for the loss of the warmth that radiated above their days and somehow managed to swaddle them at night. Veda had only been gone a few hours, but Terry already felt so cold, so unbelievably hallow as Larry finally pulled up to the building of course it had to be the one he first laid eyes on her in.

“Margaret, please tell all the board members to come down to the lower-level conference room today. Have the car running in twenty minutes if you can, Larry” Terry said just above a whisper, he didn’t think he could handle walking past her empty desk right now or to stand in the elevator they shared their morning ritual in. He could barely handle stepping out of the car and walking up to the gilded doors or forcing himself to walk past the gleaming elevators. He could hear the click of Margaret’s pumps on the white tiled floor behind him and for a second his mind told him it was Veda. All the people floating around the lobby seemed so cheery and Terry began to consider he might never feel that level of happiness again, he even rudely brushed off the custodian and one of the girls that worked in the buildings Cafeteria. Terry felt bad about the dejected looks that swept across their faces it’d been over seven weeks since he had so much as raised his voice at anyone in this office building. Yet another way Veda had positively influenced his life before her he knew his employees only showed up because he paid them well. At least a lot a better than what his father, William Terrance Silver used to pay them if he knew Terry had been happily closing the office to celebrate things with Veda and giving everyone end of the year bonuses, he’d have a heart attack. He was sure he was having one right now because Walter Getty would’ve informed him about the little chat, they had last night before Terry’s world was stolen from him. Terry just hoped Bill Silver wasn’t impeding on Milos’s campout in front of the landline by blowing up the phone, he was sure Bill would be popping over soon he just hoped Veda would be home and safe by then.

Terry wordlessly wandered into the corner conference room, sat in the chair at the end of the table, set his watch timer, and then let his blue eyes gaze out the large window.

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Third Person Pov

Margaret sighed watching Terry bark something indistinguishable into the custodian’s face it had been quite some time since he snapped at any office personnel, she felt her heart twinge as Terry apathetically stalked into the corner conference room.

“Mr. Silver is having a rough day today; I’d suggest giving him some space for a while. I’ll be sending out a fax later to let everyone know but you might as well get the word out that all problems be brought to me first and I’ll relay the messages to Mr. Silver, alright.” Margaret said softly, the custodian and the café worker nodded their heads in acknowledgement.

“I’m sorry ma’am but one of the café windows is broken and we thought someone might want to take a look” the girl said, Margaret nodded as she hit one of the elevator buttons.

“I’ll have a look at it just as soon as I get the board members to the corner conference room down here, alright” Margaret said dismissively as she stepped into the elevator, rounding up the board members was surprisingly quick even though Marcus Hilton looked like he was ready to bite someone’s head off. Margaret made sure to tell him setting Terry off today wouldn’t be in his best interest especially when Terry was already looking for a reason to get him kicked off the board.

“Sure, whatever you say honey” Marcus said condescendingly, he stepped around Margaret to get out of the elevator once they reached the lobby. Margaret narrowed her eyes at the older man and didn’t make an attempt to hide the sneer on her face, Marcus Hilton had used any array of nauseating pet names for her since she started working for Mr. Silver. Any other day she might be keen to ignore it but today wasn’t one of those days, today she was stressed, overworked, over tired, and nursing a mild concussion from Dutch’s frenzied elevator attack. Margaret stuck her foot out before Marcus could make it past her and watched as the lengthy, grotesque man nearly toppled to the ground.

“Sorry, honey, I guess I should’ve mentioned I’m not one you want to set off today either. The love of Mr. Silver’s life was kidnapped at knifepoint last night Mr. Hilton, he and Larry are itching to get out of this building as fast as they can to locate her and if you’re going to stand in either of their way, surely even you know, they won’t hesitate to take you out permanently. I know I don’t have to remind you who Lawrence is and what him and his friends from Texas do but I am warning you that I’m headed up to Mr. Silver’s office to call Bert as soon as I escort you and the other board members to the corner office. Now it is up to you to decide if you want me to have them add you to their little list Mr. Hilton, understand” Margaret said sharply, Marcus Hilton audibly gulped frantically shaking his head.

“Of course not, Ms. Spencer. I apologize for my tone, after you” Marcus said not meeting her eye as he stepped out of her path, Margaret gave him a tight smile and swiftly glided out of the elevator.

“Glad we have that sorted, follow me” Margaret said nonchalantly, her black pumps echoing through the titled lobby as she led the staggered group of posh board members to the corner conference room.

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The telephone ring cut through the silence of the Ennis house sharply, Milos jumped slightly and set down his third cup of fresh espresso and made his way across the living room. He and Margaret had been up all night trying to get an old police scanner they found in one of Veda’s unpacked boxes up and working, they had found out the cops had Dutch in custody and the chief called early this morning to keep them updated on how his interrogation was going. Milos thought it was a curious thing for her to have packed away under an array of her childhood stuffed animals but considering the events that unfolded last night it didn’t seem quite as curious to him now. He wished he had accepted Mr. Silver’s invite to the gala, if he had he could’ve been there to escort Veda and Margaret to the bathroom while Terry was occupied.

Milos picked up the phone off the receiver hurriedly, hoping to hear some good news that would lift the ominous gray clouds that currently loomed over the Ennis House. It felt like mother nature was also mourning today, truly uncharacteristic of the normally sunny California summers. This was the happiest summer Milos had seen Terry Silver have since he had started working for the young billionaire some eight years ago. He, Larry, and Margaret put up with his often-outrageous demands and misdeeds because underneath it all they knew, Terry Silver was just a young man, a child really forced to face the world of the elite alone. The money, the parties, and the models didn’t change the fact that Terry Silver was above all else, a lonely man. Sure his friend John Kreese made an appearance once in a blue moon but sometimes Milos got the sense that Mr. Kreese only showed up because of a sense of moral obligation.

“Hello, Terry Silver’s residence” Milos spoke into the phone, his eyes trailed about the lifeless house for a moment noting the absence of the golden hues that usually streamed through the stained glass windows.

“Hello this is Chief Ramsey; I believe you and I spoke on the phone last night” the Chief’s gruff voice came from the other end of the telephone. Milos didn’t miss the deep, defeated sounding sigh that the chief breathed out after he finished his statement, Milos felt his heart sink into the pits of his churning stomach. Any hope he had of receiving even a smidge of good news dissipated and he let out a deep, defeated sounding sigh if his own.

“Yes, I believe we did, I’m assuming you have an update on Mr. Howard’s interrogation. Has he…” Milos trailed; he knew the word he wanted to use but using it would mean acknowledging the fact that Veda LaRusso might be gone forever. That he might never hear her infectious laughter floating down the loggia or see her darling smile as she greeted him in the morning. The chief sighed again, and Milos could hear him faintly clicking a pen on the other end of the phone.

“No, sir, he didn’t confess, he’s been sticking to his story that she got away from him and wandered off without her shoes. He wouldn’t say why she would do that, but the analysis of the vile Chad gave us came back positive for GHB. Kids are using it to party now, but its primary euphoric effects make the users more compliant, sometimes even incapacitated especially if it’s mixed with alcohol. If his story is true Veda might have gotten away but the drugs in her system would’ve left her confused, she might have ended up in a situation she couldn’t get out of. I still have officers searching the park for any more clues and they’re questioning people in the area but that’s not what I called about…” The chief said softly wishing he had called with good news, Milos let out a mild sigh of relief at the fact that Veda might not be lost forever, they still had a chance of finding her.

“Well, what did you call about then Chief Ramsey. Finding Miss LaRusso should still be your top priority and if you have Mr. Howard in your custody there should be nothing standing in your way” Milos said, trying not to sound as annoyed as he felt but he couldn’t help but feel like the LAPD were wasting precious time. Milos couldn’t see the chief settle his forehead into the palm of his hand on the other end of the phone

“I called to tell you, Dutch Howard, won’t be in our custody much longer…” this time Milos didn’t try to hide his annoyance or outrage as he cut the chief off sharply.

“Why on earth would you be letting that animal go! A room full of people saw him drag a little girl by her hair and hold knife to her neck!?” Milos fumed, wishing he could knock over one of Mr. Silver’s expensive vases he surely wouldn’t mind after Milos got this ridiculous update to him. The chief sighed again clicking his pen a little bit faster on the other end of the phone, the chief had expected this type of reaction because he had handled reactions like this time and time again in his line of work. That still didn’t make the process any easier, delivering bad news was the worst part of the job.

“I’m sorry, sir, I really am but we didn’t have a choice. The kid’s dad came in with the best defense lawyer in the county and he readily pointed out that Mr. Howard was no longer committing a crime when Officer Ewing arrested him. It didn’t help that Officer Ewing roughed him up a bit before he got him here but even if he hadn’t, we had nothing to hold him on. We can’t prove he killed her anymore than we can prove that he let her go unharmed the most we could get him for was stealing Tommy’s dad’s car and violating his parole. I don’t like it anymore than you do believe me if there was more, I could do, I would. The best we can do is hope he is telling the truth and that we find her before he does, the kid did have multiple wounds from a stun gun. I’d say she put up a hell of a fight even if…” The chief said letting out another deeply dissatisfied sigh, Milos pursed his lips rummaging through his pocket for his car keys.

“How long do we have before you release him” Milos asked sharply.

“I can do my best to hold him up for another hour, maybe two if Officer Ewing can dig something up.”

“That’s all we need, chief, thanks” Milos said, placing the phone back on the jack.

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Margaret hurriedly rushed the still astonished group of obnoxious board members into the corner office, Terry was sat at the end of the large rectangular table with his chin propped in the palm of his hand. It’d been a while since Margaret had seen him show a hint of defeat in such a manner, his expression mirrored the one he wore in those first few months Veda had started interning for Dynatox Industries. Equal amounts deeply troubled and hopelessly longing, Margaret wished the circumstances surrounding the two were the same. That darling Veda was just playing hard to get and that she’d come bounding in to give him a stern talking to. Margaret watched the board members take in Terry’s attire with deep looks of pity in their beady little eyes as they sat around the large table almost meekly.

“Thank you, Margaret, before you leave today do you think you could fax the file that’s sitting on my desk over to our shareholders” Terry said lowly, Margaret nodded in acknowledgement.

“I’ll do that as soon as I head over to the Café. Apparently, someone…” Margaret trailed furrowing her eyebrows in confusion as she thought over what she was about to say. Terry looked at Margaret with an almost hopefully glint in his eyes as he watched her pause for a moment in deep contemplation, he recognized that look. It spread across her face when she thought or noticed something she hadn’t before, an ‘a ha’ moment in the truest sense of the expression.

“Someone what, Margaret” Terry said softly, he saw an unsure look flick across her features before she slumped her shoulders. She couldn’t utter the thought she just had after seeing such a hopeful look dance in Terry’s melancholy blue eyes and she was sorry to have put it there for even a second. Now she just felt silly for even thinking, darling little Veda, would ever do such a thing when she flew into a rather adorable panic over breaking on of Terry’s porcelain teacups the other day. Terry had to distract her with a proposal to go out for ice cream, Margaret let a sad smile grace her lips as she looked at Terry for a moment. Ice cream seemed to be one of Veda’s favorite comfort foods, Margaret often caught Veda begging Terry for ice cream with her big brown puppy eyes. Margaret had suggested that Terry simply keep some in the house, but Terry said he liked seeing how happy going out to a local shop made the little darling he then described how adorable she looked every time she tried to decide what flavor she wanted.

“Nothing, sir, someone broke one of the windows in the Café. I’m sure it was just some vandal, I’m heading up to call a repair team now and I’ll get that fax out for you right away” she said, Terry slumped his shoulders almost instantly he too thought there was no way his sweet girl would ever do such a thing even on a bad day she couldn’t drop a teacup without an adorable rambling apology.

“Oh, I see, thank you Margaret” Terry said softly finally settling his eyes on the board members in front of him. “Alright, Marcus, make this quick” Terry said harshly, Margret watched Marcus Hilton stumble to his feet for the second time today before swiftly retreating back into the tiled lobby. She didn’t really see a point in inspecting any of the damage the broken Café window had caused, she simply headed toward the elevator and pushed the button. The elevator gave a soft ding as she reached the 15th floor and the door softly slid open to reveal a rather loud bunch of Dynatox employees. Margaret wasn’t surprised, she was sure the morning news did some sort of broadcast of the current CLEAR alert out for Veda Noelle LaRusso this morning, she just hadn’t found time to watch it.

Margaret trudged through the office feeling that her lack of a good night’s rest was finally catching up to her as she neared Zoe Mitchel’s desk. The slim blonde was staring at the heaps of flowers already placed on Veda’s desk with tears briming her honey brown eyes, Rob had placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and was rubbing soothing circles on her back. His sandy brown hair was tousled more than usual, and his usually cheerful green eyes looked incredibly somber, he like Zoe had heard the rundown of the horrifying events that had transpired last night on the morning news. He had quite nearly dropped a streaming pan of scrambled eggs on his bare feet when Zoe let out a high-pitched shriek and knocked over the gargoyle statue, he had sitting on the coffee table shattering it into a million pieces. Zoe had been itching to get rid of that sculpture since they started dating and Rob always knew she’d cook up a way to get rid of it in that cute little head of hers eventually, but he wished the events surrounding the death of his beloved statue were much less depressing.

Zoe stared at Veda’s empty desk and felt like her whole world was crashing down around her sometimes she wondered how she and Veda had become so close in such a short amount of time. Before Veda started working at Dynatox Zoe spent most of her days and lunches alone in the office, she had never gotten around to making many friends aside from the occasional small chat she made with Rob over the past two years she had worked here. Sometimes Zoe couldn’t help but wonder where she and Rob would even be if Veda had never come along and pushed them together. Surely, they’d still be secretly pining after each other and Rob may have never told her he loved her at the top of the Ferris wheel at the Santa Monica pier. In a lot of ways Zoe felt like her life had only begun when she and Veda became friends, contrary to what people believed Zoe was never the popular girl in school. She mostly kept to herself during those awkward adolescent years, any friends she did have during her youth were still living in her small hometown of Leavenworth Washington and her years spent at UCLA weren’t much different. Zoe had already been dreading what her days were going to look like when Veda would be going to Cal-Tech full time in the fall but at least she’d know where she was and that she’d at least be seeing her on the weekends and during her school breaks.

“Oh, Margaret, are you okay? We heard what happened on the news how is everything going?” Zoe asked softly, Margaret sighed giving her a weary look as she stopped in front of her desk.

“I’m alright dear, just a bit tired, the cops have Dutch in custody but he’s insisting he doesn’t know where Veda is. Terry is having a hard time, so he and Larry are going to go out looking for her again in case Dutch isn’t lying by chance. Veda’s mom is driving down from Fresno, she should be arriving within the hour other than that, we know next to nothing I’m afraid we’re in for a long day of waiting” Margaret sighed, peering through the glass window of Terry’s still office. His office door was only slightly ajar which Margaret thought it was odd because Terry now had the habit of leaving the door wide open even though Veda would often be sat doing paperwork right beside him.

“Oh, Margaret, it’s all so awful and now having to sit and wait to find out if she’s okay or not. I can’t believe people are putting flowers on her desk already like she’s really…” Zoe trailed letting out a deep melancholy sigh she didn’t foresee herself getting much work down today. Sitting at her desk and going through environmental files was tedious enough on its own but now having to do it while she looked across the room at her missing best friend’s desk all day felt like more than she could handle emotionally and mentally. Margaret sighed again seeming to pick up on Zoe’s line of thinking, she really didn’t see the point in making everyone stay when Terry wasn’t going to be here to give out his tasks of the week.

“It’s alright Zoe, I think I’m just going to send everyone home for today, so you and Rob are free to go if you’d like. Could you get the word out before you go?” Margaret asked softly, Rob and Zoe nodded in acknowledgement.

“Yeah, we can do that, but we’d rather stay with you today if that’s alright” Zoe said softly, Margaret gave her a brief reassuring smile before peering into Terry’s office once more. She could make out that the ominous grey clouds were beginning to let the LA summer sun peek through, the golden rays streamed across the grey tonal carpet on his office floor and under one of the black leather sofas he had put in a few weeks ago when Veda joked that he needed comfier office furniture. Margaret smiled wistfully at the memory her blue eyes were still trained on the still office as the golden stream crept a little further to the right and illuminated something glittery next to one of the sofa’s legs.

“That’s perfectly fine, darling, I just have to get something faxed for Mr. Silver, make a call, and then we can be on our way. I’m sure Larry and Mr. Silver would appreciate a few more hands” Margaret said, squinting her eyes a bit to see if she could make out the glittery object sitting under the leather sofa as she walked toward his office door and gently pushed it open. The clicking of her heels softened as she entered the quiet office and strolled over to the couch to pick up the glistening heap off the fabric covered floor. Margaret bent down and scooped the object into her hand, she took a few more steps into the office as looked down at the object. She let out a soft gasp and she trailed her thumb over the diamond chain gingerly before settling it on top of the 6-carat tear shaped ruby pendent in the middle.

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Milos swerved in and out of traffic lanes with expert precision ignoring the disgruntled yells and honks of LA patrons as he sped down Hollywood freeway with the windows of his Porche 944 Turbo. Back in Black by AC/DC was flooding out of the windows and above the rev of the engine, Milos gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter as he let his foot press down a little harder on the gas pedal on instinct. The Porche was a late Christmas present from Terry last year, he left a cheeky little card encouraging Milos to relive the stockcar races of his youth through Milos had left that life behind him long before Terry ever hired him. The only remnants of his racecar days were a few trophies shoved in the back of his closet in the servant’s quarters above the Ennis House garage, along with his extensive collection of black leather biker jackets.

Milos threw on his black sunglasses as the grey clouds finally parted for the LA summer sun, he’d be at Dynatox shortly he only hoped he’d arrive before Terry and Larry went out to search for Veda again. He had to tell them Dutch was being released, Milos was never one to get his hands dirty or start a fight even in the young rebellious years of his youth, but Dutch Howard had him seriously reconsidering that prospect. He wasn’t half as skilled as Terry or Larry in the unadulterated violence department, but he could throw a nasty punch when it came down to it and no one deserved a nastier punch than Dutch Howard. Milos sped off the freeway and turned down a series of streets, running a few red lights in the process before he pulled the Porche to a screeching halt in front of Dynatox Industries.

Larry was leaning against the Corniche with a tired but amused half smile curled upon his face and took part of his thick grey mustache with it. His grey eyes watched as Milos cut the engine and threw open the driver’s door wearing a pair of black sunglasses made popular by the Blue Brothers and his usual black suit though his tie was hung loosely around his neck.

“Oooo wee, Speed racer has emerged from his cave and rejoined the land of the livin’, never thought I’d live to see that day. Remind me again why I’m the chauffer, I really wished you had pulled out one of those leather jumpsuits you’ve got buried in the back of your closet. What’s goin’ on, you hear anything from the cops?” Larry’s deep Texan vibrato floated across the sidewalk as Milos rolled his eyes under his sunglasses and shut the Porche door with a soft thud.

“The cops are releasing Dutch” Milos said walking towards Larry with a weary look of his own though it was shielded by his dark glasses. Larry’s face hardened as he glanced over at Milos with a fire blazing in his grey eyes, Dutch Howard was about to have the worst day of his miserable life. Neither of the men standing on the sidewalk thought the kid was going to live to see the inside of a prison cell and even if he did, he surely wouldn’t last there very long the spoiled Cali brats never did. Larry had a few friends over in the Metropolitan Detention Center that didn’t take young woman and girls being abused lightly all Larry had to do was write a letter.

“What, why the hell are they doin’ that” Larry boomed clenching his fists tightly against his sides, Milos let out a deep sigh and took off his sunglasses to look Larry in the eyes.

“The kid’s dad got a hold of Willie Cole, Chief Ramsey said they could hold him for another hour or two hours at the most. I thought we’d all want to be there to greet Mr. Howard on his way out of the precinct” Milos said lowly, Larry raised an eyebrow at Milos as they both made the short walk up to Dynatox’s grand gilded doors.

“Shoot, you coming with us to the rodeo Speed racer?” Larry said slightly surprised, he never really believed Terry when he said Milos used to be a rebellious race car driver. Milos was always poised and polite, the opposite of Larry when Terry met him in a bar down in San Antonio some years ago and hired him on the spot. Why Terry was in that rundown bar was still a mystery, but Larry was eternally grateful for whatever it was that brought the kid there. Larry has been working odd jobs and living out of motels after his grandma passed, Georgia Bowman was the woman that raised him and the only family he had left. Larry always wondered why Milos insisted on the role of being a butler when he clearly knew how to operate a car way better than he could, but Milos was almost as tight lipped about his past as Margaret was.

“Damn right” Milos said, taking a moment to click the lock button on the Porche key fob.

“Well alright then, let’s go get the boss man” Larry said pulling the handle on one of the gold doors, he and Milos shuffled inside the virtually empty Dynatox lobby. Larry had seen a sea of employees shuffle out of the building some time ago, gabbing about the current string of depressing events of the previous night in a manner that was similar to the way his grandmother used to gossip to their neighbor on their front porch during the Texan summers. Larry glanced down at his watch for a moment, he’d give it a couple more minutes before he stormed into the conference room just like Terry had quietly asked him to when Margaret had stepped out of the car. If she knew they were only planning on giving the board members a full ten minutes instead of the full twenty-five they had promised she’d have a cow. Larry could count the amount of times he had seen Margaret Spencer angry on one hand and each time was more terrifying than the last.

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Margaret felt her stomach churn uncomfortably as she looked down at the expensive ruby necklace in her shaky hand, it was the necklace Terry gifted to Veda before they left for the Gala last night. Margaret remembered the way the ruby glistened in the venue lobby as Dutch Howard pressed a long knife into the side of Veda’s neck and the way she helplessly reached for Larry to comfort her. She remembered how time felt like it stood still because it was reminiscent of the way time stood still that night, she was riding along a rainy highway with her husband, George Spencer in the driver’s seat and their sixteen-year-old son, Ben, in the back seat. She was caught in that confusing moment when your body is trying to decide if you’re going to fight, flee, or freeze of course that rainy night Margaret wasn’t given the opportunity to choose though she did freeze when the truck headlights sharply veered toward them. She woke up on the muddy ground sometime later to see their car set ablaze in the unusually heavy London storm. Last night however Margaret was afforded the chance to choose and for whatever reason her body choose to freeze as soon as her blue eyes spotted the iridescent hilt of the knife Dutch Howard held to her neck in the venue elevator. Margaret wished there was more she could’ve done to keep Dutch Howard from finding Veda alone and defenseless in secluded hallway but Dutch wacked her in the temple hard enough that she couldn’t think up a more convincing lie for Veda’s whereabouts.

Margaret ripped her blue eyes off the necklace and looked around Terry Silver’s office in its entirety for the first time since she walked in. Upon closer inspection she noticed some of the files that were previously sat neatly atop his desk last week were now scattered across the gray carpeted floor. Her mind wandered back towards the broken café window and how she considered for the briefest of moments Veda LaRusso had been the one to break it, it would now appear her original line of thinking wasn’t too far off. Perhaps the scum that is Dutch Howard hadn’t lied after all, Veda LaRusso did get away from him and she for whatever reason decided Dynatox was going to be where she was going to take refuge for the night. Margaret let out a shaky breath as she eyed Terry’s desk at the far side of the office there weren’t many places for Veda to be hiding in here though it was possible she was hiding out in another part of the building probably scared half to death. Margaret saw Zoe appear in the office doorway out of the corner of her eye but she couldn’t bring herself to look at her as she tried to detect any movement on the other side of the Terry Silver’s cherry desk. Zoe eyed the older woman curiously as she stood frozen next to one of the new leather sofas Terry had put in his office last week, she looked much paler than she had a few minutes ago.

“Everyone has cleared out for the day just as you requested. Is everything alright?” Zoe said softly, glancing over to see what Margaret was staring at so intently finding that her blue eyes were glued on the desk at the far side of the room. Zoe noticed some paperwork scattered across the floor and thought maybe Margaret had lost her footing while she went to get the files Terry had requested, she fax for him. She had heard Dutch had given the poor woman a concussion last night and decided maybe Margaret just needed to lay down for a few minutes.

“Margaret, why don’t you have a seat on one of the sofas for a minute. You look exhausted, if you just give me the number, I can go fax those papers for you if you’d like.” Zoe said walking a bit further into the office, before Margaret could respond they both heard something resembling a meek whimper float around the room. Zoe stopped suddenly, her caramel brown eyes flicked between the desk and Margaret for a long moment. Margaret finally brought herself to utter the only name that had been on her mind for the past seven hours as she took a cautious step towards the dark brown desk.

“Veda, darling, is that you?” Margaret asked in a gentle tone and another meek sounding whimper sounded in reply this time sounding more frightened than anything. Margaret forced herself to keep her cautious pace as she motioned for Zoe to follow her, Zoe felt her heartrate pick up as they reached the corner of the desk. Both of them now noticed how far away Terry’s rolling leather chair was from the hard brown desk, it was nearly touching the large window that overlooked downtown Los Angeles. The chairs deep brown leather was illuminated by the warm golden sun that had fully emerged from behind the thick gray clouds, the golden hue washed across the grey floor in a way that made Zoe feel like it was guiding them to exactly what or rather who everyone had spent the last seven hours searching for. Zoe stopped walking just before Margaret rounded the desk and fell to her knees with an audible gasp, Zoe felt her stomach twist uncomfortably even with the brief wave of relief that ran through her body.

“Oh, Veda” Margaret gasped reaching out to Veda’s curled form underneath her chosen wooden refuge. Margaret felt her stomach churn as her blue eyes took in the dark purpled bruises and deep gashes that littered her delicate tan skin before fixating on her overly swollen left arm and shoulder Veda’s bloody right hand was currently clutching. Veda was shaking like a leaf as she turned her head to look over at Margaret with terrified brown eyes that didn’t seem to register exactly who they were looking at. The deep golden sun lit her deep brown eyes up enough for Margaret to see her pupils were big, dilated saucers and the whites of her eyes were a bright shade of bloodshot red as they darted rapidly in her sockets seemingly of their own accord. Margaret reached a hand out to wipe the black curls that were clinging to her clammy forehead out of her eyes gently. Veda let out a loud horrified shriek and lurched away from Margaret’s gentle hand like it was a loaded gun, Margaret sighed sadly but ultimately retracked her hand in the hopes that Veda would halt her shrieking.

“Veda darling, it’s okay, it’s safe to come out now…” Margaret said in a soft soothing tone, Zoe finally rounded the corner and felt like she might throw up as she eyed Veda’s tattered black tights from underneath the muddy fabric of her cocktail dress. Noting the way, they were only cut between her trembling legs aside from the tears and runs over her cut knees.

“How… how did she get in here” Zoe said lowering herself to her knees right beside Margaret, who seemed to snap out of her cautious mode of inaction she had to catch Terry before he and Larry left to go search for Veda. They’d surely be leaving soon, she heard Terry planning to run away from the board meeting as soon as she stepped out of the car, due to the circumstances she was going to let his disobedience slide for once and not subject him to a harsh scolding.

“The café window was broken downstairs; we need to catch Mr. Silver before he leaves. Can you help me get her out from under here?” Margaret asked, this time reaching to put a firm hand on one of Veda’s trembling legs a little bit out of her eyesight. Zoe wordlessly obliged but as soon as their hands brushed against one of Veda’s deep cuts, she let out a bloodcurdling scream reminiscent of the one that sounded through the gala venue last night. Zoe and Margaret rushed to soothe her as a frantic looking Rob came bounding into the office to see what was going on. His breath hitched in his throat as he caught a flash of Veda’s mangled form peeking out from under Terry Silver’s desk.

“Oh my god” Rob breathed out, just as Veda’s senseless screaming formed a string of slurred, nearly indistinguishable words as she coiled further beneath the desk.

“No... don’t touch only... Terry… helps me. Want Terry” Veda slurred out between dissatisfied screams, Margaret glanced up at Rob helplessly as she finally retracted her hands and reached up toward the phone that sat on the edge of Terry’s desk.

“He’s in the corner conference room downstairs…” Margaret said to no one in particular as she hit the speed dial button for the glass conference room just off the lobby. The line rang and rang as Margaret tapped her finger on the hard wood of the cherry desk impatiently and anxiously. Rob pulled himself out of his shocked daze, forcing his legs to carry him back towards the office door. His heart was racing a mile a minute.

“I’ll see if I can catch him” Rob called before disappearing out of the office in a hurried frenzy, Zoe proceeded to soothe a now weeping Veda who was still muttering Terry’s name repeatedly. Veda tried to coil away from Zoe’s hands as they reached to pull her muddy dress back down into place for her, Zoe did her best not to burst into tears when she saw how irritated she looked between her thighs right now. Margaret hung up the phone briefly before dialing Chief Ramsey’s direct line, the phone rang all of two times before his rough voice came on the other end of the receiver.

“Chief Ramsey speaking” he said slowly sounding just as exhausted as Margaret felt right now, she glanced down at Zoe and Veda to see Veda had calmed down some, but it only appeared to be because she was in so much pain. Margaret watched her paw at her swollen arm with tears streaming down her battered face and bruised neck, she was still muttering ‘Terry’ between slow shallow breaths and Margaret feared she might slip into a coma.

“Keep talking to her Zoe, don’t let her drift off” Margaret told her in a hushed tone, Zoe nodded and proceeded to ask Veda how her trip with Terry was. She knew Veda wouldn’t answer but hearing Terry’s name made her perk up even in her delirious state.

“Chief Ramsey, it’s Margaret Spencer, I’m calling to tell you we found Veda here at Dynatox, but she’s hurt bad. Can you meet us at Good Samaritan on Wilshire Boulevard?” Margaret said hurriedly, she heard Chief Ramsey shuffling frantically on the other end of the phone, but she didn’t even wait for him to reply as she slammed the phone back on the hook. Margaret knelt back down beside Zoe and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

“Terry’s coming Veda, everything is going to be okay darling” Margaret said softly.

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Rob sprinted towards the elevator and hit the down button more times than he needed too, he found it extremely annoying how elevators only seemed to take forever when you were in a hurry. The door even slid open at an agonizingly slow pace, Rob didn’t even wait for it to fully open before he slid in and pushed the button for the lobby hard enough to make a dull clicking sound. Rob for once was regretting not being an athlete in high school, he spent more time developing film in his high school dark room than he did playing tag football with his older brothers and sports crazed father. He could hear his dad’s condescending tone already ‘If you had just realized your potential as an athlete Robin, you’d have no problem sprinting down fifteen flights of stairs boy’. Rob tapped his foot impatiently, watching the numbers above the door glow an amber shade of gold one at a time by the time the number two lit up Rob was already backing himself against the elevator wall. A soft ding sounded, and Rob flew out of the elevator and down the ridiculously large lobby as fast as his legs could take him, he paid very little mind to anyone else lingering in the lobby, but he did stop briefly when a deep voice called out his name.

“Rob, slow down before you hurt yourself there” Rob whipped around and instantly recognized the men leaning against some of the chairs in the lobby, he had met them both at Terry Silver’s mansion that day they went to the pier. Rob let out a relieved breath at the sight of Larry and Milos, surely Terry was still sat in the board meeting which Rob would be crashing very shortly.

“Veda… is upstairs in Terry’s office… go” Rob panted, Larry and Milos shared a look of surprise and relief as they watched Rob resume his relay worthy sprint down the long lobby before disappearing around a corner. Rob reached the glass conference room only to find Terry was no longer in it, in fact no one was it was completely deserted Rob let out a breathless groan and bent over slightly to get some air back in his nonathletic lungs.

“Why didn’t I just do football” Rob hissed before turning around and running back down the hall he just flew down.

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There's a shortage of sad pensive Terry gifs from kk3 🫠

Not period appropriate, but this is my mood board for Dynatox.

I don't usually like putting face claims into my stories because I like you guys picturing whomever it is your heart desires. But I want to make it known I'm picturing and hearing Sam Elliot in Roadhouse when I'm writing for Larry now 😂. And now you all get to, too.

[rinbowaman]

A Tale of Yuan

Mermaids Tale AU Storyline

Part 1

Authors note:

So this is a small series that I wrote and am dedicating to fellow content creator @talesofyuan

Her work has truly inspired me, and one of her stories, in fact, has deeply moved me and I was truly inspired by her creativity. This was originally supposed to feature a male lead that is her bias, but I changed it up last minute.

And if you guys haven't or aren't familiar with Mermaids Tale, this story takes place in the same universe and storyline, just a different male lead. So if you haven't caught up with the recent chapter of MT, i would suggest reading that first otherwise this might confuse you. There is just a tad bit of spoiler as there will be a very quick appearance of two MT characters, regardless that MT is not at all finished just yet, but will be after i complete SE7EN. Enjoy.

Warnings: This is a yandere fic, so just like the other series ive drafted, to include MT, there is going to be a wave of unhealthy obsession, possessiveness, aggressive and sexual tension, imbalance of power in a relationship, possibly smut in the future parts, still working on that part, but if there is, it's going to be only suggestive, non descriptive, non-con turned (slightly) con smut. Male lead will be violent, sadistic.....veeeery intimidating in the near future. so be forwarned, theres going to be some twisted and dark stuff ahead....But so far for part 1, since it's the beginning, there's not a whole lot of warnings in this one.

MERMAIDS TALE <- Click, recommend you read first.

“Hey man, how are you? It’s been a while.”

With a wide-eyed stare, and a tight lip, the young man responds as the glare in his eye took on a shrink in his iris.

“…………I’ve been good…how have you been?”

“O-oh…okay. I've been good. I heard you got married? Congrats.”

“Ahh…yeah…yeah I did…. We’re both very happy.”

“Oh…that’s so good. I have a steady girlfriend right now….maybe if things go well, after college I’ll get married. Hey! Maybe one of these days we can do a double date, and introduce my girlfriend to your wife? They might become friends.”

“Yeah……maybe…..we’ll see….anyhow, take care.”

Grinning, a glint of malice in his expression grows, bidding the former acquaintance goodbye, the young man continues to make his way back home….twirling a chain around his finger that contained only a single key.

…………………………………..

10 months ago…..

“Kei!”

Turning around, the tall young man watches as one of his female peers, Sooha, calls out to him.

“Hey what’s up?”

“Nothing, I just wanted to give you these….”

Taking the box, the young man smiled softly in receiving a small gift of chocolates from the young woman.

“Well thanks.”

Blushing at the sight of his handsome and youthful face, his fierce eyes, and those fiery, dark beaded eyes, her breath hitches at the smell and sight of him, especially being so close as she watches him receiving her gift.

“I was wondering….if you wanted to go see the new Little Mermaid movie with me? Maybe after I graduate next week?”

He smiles and grows slightly wide eyed, “The Little Mermaid? I’m not sure if I’ll be into that movie…I’m kind of more into the adult stuff. Action adventure or thrillers.”

“Oh….”

Taking note of her tone, it reflected a hint of disappointment. Even though Kei was a man considered to be honest and forthright, he was somewhat of a softy, especially when it came to women. He just couldn’t bring himself to make them upset or see them cry.

“Okay fine let’s go watch the movie together. You wanna go next weekend?”

Eyes lighting up, her happiness was restored as she commenced tiny claps and smiled brightly.

“Yes! I’m so excited!”

He bids her goodbye after confirming the details of the date. How lucky of her to be going out with Kei, the dashing and handsome young college student, who frequented the school grounds at her high school.

Kei was good looking and mature, yet the one thing that stood out most about him was his natural born leadership skills. He had a soft face and bubbly personality, yet he was fierce and protective of those he cared about, and he led life by example, always standing up for what was morally ethical.

A prime example of his leading nature was the entire reason why he was always seen at the high school, he led and assisted in coaching for the school's rugby team. The man was fit, built with lean muscle and had a staggering height.

With a heart of steel, he was admired and respected, even by the elder students and the staff members of the school.

The weekend came around, and just as he promised, he attended the movies with Sooha. The adorable pair refreshed themselves with confectionaries and soft drinks, fully focused on enjoying the movie now that they graduated school.

In all honesty, much to his surprise, the movie wasn’t half bad. The actors and actresses did a phenomenal job, the CG effects were outstanding, and the music was quite good. It was all in all, a well-done flick.

“I love mermaids! I wish I was one.” Sooha exclaims as the duo made their way back home.

“You want to be half fish?” Kei teases. Laughing as the girl slaps his arm playfully.

Walking up to her front door, she thanks him for walking her home.

The biting of her lower lip indicated for him to make the first move, and so he did. Not shy at all, he smirks a soft smile and leans into her. Reaching up, he sets aside some pieces of her hair, exposing her ear, in which he gently whispers before placing a soft and tender kiss on her lips.

“I had a good time…”

Just a small kiss, nothing too exaggerated since they were outside of her home, yet the girl felt herself rushing with the heat of passion as he stood and peeled his head back, looking at her as he smirked softly. His smooth face reflected a more mature tone to his youthful countenance.

Watching her blush, he thought she looked so adorable the way she hid her face beneath her hand as she giggled.

“Well…I guess I’ll see you tomorrow, right?” his tone was soft and teasing as he continued to smile while raising his brows slightly, peering his head around to make direct eye contact with her as she hid her face away.

Keiwas very big on eye contact, to him, it was not only a sign of high respect but also a way for him to take in the details of someone’s features, particularly the girls who were constantly going for him.

Laughing with her, he pulls her in gently, trapping her into a tight hug against his mighty frame, all the while he kisses the top of her head, and waves goodbye.

On his walk back home, he took a shortcut through the city’s main outlet strip.

Lined with a myriad of boutiques and small shops, the pleasant and clean view of the path was clear of any vehicles or bustling traffic; it was peaceful and lacked anything that would cause a disruption to its tranquility. Passing by one boutique after another, he noticed a particular shop, one with large, paned windows, displayed a miraculous art piece. It was a painting of a mermaid.

“Huh…how interesting.” He chuckles to himself. With Sooha in mind and her love for mermaids, he decides to make a quick visit inside to inquire of the displayed piece.

Upon walking in, he noticed how the boutique was stark empty in regards to staff members, it appeared that no one was in, yet the door was open and the sign indicated that they were still in business.

There were no immediate sightings of clerks or commissioners to offer their greetings, just an empty wide-open floor concept of a large space, with a decorated chandelier at the center that hung above a round seating lounge. The space was elegant but also crafty, as the walls were paneled and flared a vintage, antique design, yet some of the decorations were traditionally modern. It was both fancy and cozy. There were floral plants that decorated the area along with stands that displayed more pieces of art, stationed sporadically in every corner.

As he merges closer towards the center of the shop, he hears an instrument playing towards the back. Intrigued by the unique sound of the mellow tune, he initially couldn’t pinpoint the type of instrument that was playing, until he reached the back door that was left cracked open, it was that moment he realized…

‘A harp…?’

Gently pushing the cracked, open door wider, he hears the music playing through an old record machine that continued to elude the sounds of the sea.

Next to the machine, was a young woman, he couldn’t see her face as she was seated with her back side facing him, he could tell just by her frame that she was not much younger than him, more than likely she had to have been Sooha's age.

She was seated in front of a creative space, the entire room was filled with assorted paint accessories, and antiques. Peeking over her shoulder from where he stood, he could see that she was engrossed in calligraphy, as she applied fine strokes on old rice paper, writing out the various and assorted Chinese characters. The windows in front of her faced the back side of the outlet, which featured a decent and upper view of the recreational park next to the shop. The park was lavished with the beauty of nature as he could see through the tall windows that it was adorned with trees, fountains, and common wildlife.

Without startling her, he gently knocks on the door panel that remained wide open, propped up against the wall.

"Yes?" the young woman turns her face to view the young man behind.

"Sorry....didn't mean to interrupt....are you the owner of this store?"

Shaking her head just slightly as she subtly tucks her lips in, she remained seated with crossed arms as she shifts her eyesight around, giving them a break from the imminent focus that they rendered to the translucent white paper that contained her brush strokes.

"No, my parents are the owners. I just help out. Can I help you with something?"

Her voice was soothing and tender, and it tingled like the ringing of bells or wind chimes.

"Just.....wanted to see if you could help me out....was curious about a painting out in front."

"Oh, yeah sure. I can help you with that."

She stretches in her seat, preparing to stand and assist with the male customer.

"You like to listen to musical instruments?" He asks.

"Yeah....it's calming."

"Her voice....it's so.....calming......and her eyes...."

"Ah....yeah. What is your name by the way?" he inquires subtly.

With a faint smirk, she looks down on the ground as she issues her warming response. "Yuan..."

Touched and enamored by her appeal, he chuckles at the stunning girl speaking out her name in a shy manner.

"Thats a nice name..." he smiles. "I"m Kei."

Nodding her head faintly she maintains politeness out of the courtesy of the potential customer. "Nice to meet you."

'...........you too.........'

“You’re not from around here, are you?” His voice grew a tinge deeper in tone as he inquires more about the pretty store owner's daughter.

“What makes you ask?”

“Just….your face…you look unique and somewhat foreign.”

She chuckles at his awkward sense of flattery. 

“Well, I’m usually a very private person but if you’re asking if I currently live here, then yes, I do.”

Leaning against the door frame, he crosses his arms as he shifts his hips against the wooden panel, tilting his head back, his beaded eyes continued to study at her and relishing to the sound of her delicate voice, though she took a vague notice as she prepared to lead him out to the front.

“So…you paint all of these works yourself? He inquires after noticing the amount of paint supplies scattered around the open shelving units.

“Not all….just some. I mainly like to write and doodle.”

“Oh yeah? Are you writing a book or something?” 

She chuckles softly. “A children’s book, yes.” 

“Neat.” He flirts a toothy grin as he admiringly stares at her, studying every detailed trait that was in plain view. 

“Which painting were you wanting to look at?” She asks, raising her brows out of sincere curiosity.

“Um….yeah…the one out in the front... of the mermaid…” 

“Oh yeah, that’s one of my favorites.” Getting up, she walks over in his direction as he shifts over and allows her to exit, brushing right past him in the process. 

Inhaling her scent as she closed the distance, he  was surprised at how unique her scent was. It smelled of the sea, yet there was a tinge of wild orchid and a sweet citrus dew that accompanied it, it was pleasantly soft and subtly sweet, not at all overpowering like most of the fragrances he’s used to smelling from the girls from his college, or the seniors at the high school he volunteered at. 

Leading him back into the entry foyer of the boutique, she examines the painting; taking the tag, she displays it for him to see as it rests in her palm. 

“I can give you a discount if you decide you want it.” She issues. 

“No it’s fine, I have no problem with the price as is.” 

“You sure?”

“Yeah.”

Ringing him up, she delicately wraps the painting with a protective cover. All the while she had dedicated her focus onto the adorning piece, Kei caught himself meticulously studying her once more, he couldn’t bring himself to stop. His eyes gradually loses luster as the matte black coloration stains over his iris, crating a zoned gaze with enhanced depth. Had she noticed, she would have found that the look he had in his eye was nearly....

The moment she spoke out as she raised her head to look him in the eyes, he shifts back into a pleasant facade while receiving the painting. 

‘Odd…his eyes just now…they had looked a bit…..different….maybe it’s the lighting.’ 

"Thank you. Have a nice day." She softly issues as she hands him the canvas.

"Yeah......you too.....do you often help your parents out with the store?"

Nodding she gives her non-verbal response as she shifts her eyes back up to make eye contact with him.

'....her eyes.....her hair....her scent....her voice....'

"Well....that's really dutiful of you as a daughter." he scoffs out with a smirk and a teasing chuckle. Tilting his head, he shifts his eyes to view the ground beneath his feet before looking back up with a subtly but shy grin, faintly biting down his lip.

She chuckles back, semi nervously as she wasn't quite used to random strangers, regardless if they were of similar age, coming in and issue her flattering remarks.

"I do what I can..." she merely states.

"...Yeah.....well then. Take care." with the last bit, he leaves.

..............................

As days passed, Kei started out by visiting the store in moderation, all to see the lovely and delicate features of the store owners daughter. Normally he expressed that he was in passing, stating that the path he took was on his way to his college, and that he passes by the store every day. He wasn't lying at all, but of course, he never once did pop in until just recently....only after meeting with her.

"Hey there, Ying-Yang-Yuan. Whatchya doing?"

He would speak in high familiarity, even after just only meeting her days prior. Yet the way the warm tone of his voice and his soft handsome smile greeted her, it made her feel less anxious as she merely just thought he was being friendly.

Keeping to herself, she only interacted with him from a distance, occasionally chit chatting with him in the store while she committed to her tasks and responsibilities in the shop. He was kind and thoughtful, yet she felt overwhelmed by the sense of kindness and immense urge to always helping her...

.............................

"Let me get that for you. "

"I can help."

"I know you've got it but let me, I don't want you to hurt yourself."

............................

While she didn't see the harm of him visiting the store to see her, there was a line that she knew to never cross, with any man, all due to a deep secret that she and her mother held away from the world.

It permanently was stationed in her mind as the words of her mother's tone echoed in her brain.....

"Yuan...you must never.....never tell anyone of our ancestry.....and if you ever meet a man.....who you're able to feel upon touch.....RUN."

The distant memory of when she was in the years of her early childhood, when she received an explanation of her strange abnormality, which was stained over by a false diagnosis, yet her mother eventually told her the truth...acknowledging that the false diagnosis was for her protection. It was on one of her birthdays, when her family and a small group of friends went to go celebrate at a nearby beach, that she found out the truth...

Taking a stroll and skipping through the sand, her bare feet hits the water, when something occurred that shocked her to a drastic fall as she became coated with saltwater and sand....

the sand.....

".....I can......feel........my God.....I can feel....the sand.....the rocks...the water....the temperature......."

Thus started the truthful conversation that her mother revealed...which in all honesty, she still had a hard time believing...yet nothing else made sense as to how she could not gain the sense of physical touch or feeling, unless she was in the saltwater. But then as she grew older, there were other factors that was left unexplainable.

....................

"My...what a very pretty girl."

"So alluring..."

"I can't stop staring...."

"Why do these men act like they're hypnotized everytime she's humming to a song??"

.....................

As she grew, her appearance earned the prolonged stares of the public, especially men. Her voice, which she refrained from humming out in the privacy of her own seclusion, would bring men to their knees, crawling and begging for more. She had an effect....she and her mother, and it was evident yet everyone assumed that the mother and daughter pair were just truly blessed with great genetics.

But she knew, deep down, by the look in the eyes of these men that stared, that they were feeling something....and while she never tested it she knew that had she issued out any command....any demand for their affection, loyalty, and love, they would have given it. They would have given it while abandoning their homes, their wives, and their children. Fortunately, she was so far from the likes of her early ancestors, that her temperament was far from sadistic and cruel, yet she did find comfort in solace and being away from the world and it's shenanigans. She embraced her freedom to be independent and free to roam wherever she decides to go. It was something she truly treasured, especially upon receiving the guiding aspect of her future from her mother once more...

"Someday.....should you ever follow my path.....you'll need to cut ties with the world and travel to the Adriatic sea, the birthplace of our ancestors....there.....is where you will go.....to disappear like the rest of us....into the sea."

She knew her mother meant well, however, a life aimlessly roaming in the ocean didn't sound appealing to her one bit. Fortunately, she wouldn't have to worry about following that path.....as long as she never falls in love and marries. That was the key. For each descendant who displayed the curse of their bloodline, they are left with a choice.....either live an eternal life of lies and hidden identities......or marry and love a man.....and disappear without a trace so as to not be found out.

And then there was of course....

"If you ever run into an Adam.....you must run....hide....escape....never let him catch you......"

She was briefly explained on the history between Adams and Sirens, yet she never thought too in depth of it. Her mother, on the other hand, always eluded a fearful expression whenever she spoke of an Adam descendent.

Yet as time went by, Yuan never found herself at risk, she kept to herself, hardly interacted with people, especially men, and generally was keeping herself busy with aiding her parents in the store, conducting school, and perfecting her crafts in regards to literature and art.

But one day....

Reaching up for the blank canvases on the top shelf, she extends her grip and was able to grab the tail end of the one that laid on the bottom. Pulling it slightly, the items that were loosely tucked away on the shelving unit, which was all out of her sight, began to crumble as the items were drawn to a falling state.

A large box, shifts and begins to tilt. Had it fallen completely, the heavy contents within it would have produced severe trauma to her head, however, it never fell out of the shelving unit, even though she braced herself for impact.

...................

Shocked at the sudden view of a hand plastered onto the front of the large box, with a strong arm fully extended, highlighting the muscle definition of his frame, she slightly turns her head to see his face next to hers. He was close......very close. Shifting his face from frontal view, right over to meet with hers, all the while keeping the box steady with his hand, he displayed abnormal strength as he softly asks her....

"Are you okay?"

"...uhh...yeah...thanks..."

"Good..."

Shifting his face back to the box, he takes a step closer towards the shelving unit, pushing the box back in place. While doing so, he places a hand on the lower end of her back.

At that very moment, her world collapsed and flipped upside down.....

"....his hand......."

She could feel him....she could feel the touch of his hand......

"Yuan...you must never.....never tell anyone of our ancestry.....and if you ever meet a man.....who you're able to feel upon touch.....RUN."

........

Looking back up at him, her eyes widened with the shocking look of fear that was developing in her eyes, she slightly gasped out her breathes as her mouth faintly opens. Looking back down at her, he smirks slightly...it was sly.....it was devilish.....

With a calm tone, he asks her, "You okay?"

"....y-yeah....fine...."

"Hmm....good." he scoffs out as he firmly pushes the box back into place, his hand still resting on her lower back.

Shifting away rather suddenly, her heart was beating faster than it ever had.

".....i....i felt his hand......does....does that mean?....."

Towering above her, he looks down and tilts his head with slight amusement.

"Something the matter?....Ying-Yang-Yuan?" he smirks a dashing smile, while admitting a slow and deep chuckle.

"Um...yeah....everything is good i was just....i was scared for a second that the box was going to fall on my head. that's all."

"Mmm...yeah....you should be more careful."

Looking over in her direction, he smiles softly as he leans in. Regardless of his soft nature, it didn't deter away from a sense...an aura....a persona that he was eluding...it was quite different from when she had first met him, though he seemed to be unaware that he was drafting it off at all.

"You still look shaken up. Maybe you should take a break, if you need help, I can help out." he offers.

Leaning in, noticing her flustered expression, her eyes staring at the ground as she questions what she should do at that very moment. She can't run away, she couldn't possibly think about leaving her parents behind....if she told her mother, how would she react if she mentioned that she came across a young man, whose touch is felt even without being present in the saltwater....how would her mother react if she told her that she may have possibly come across an....

"Adam...."

He develops a peculiar look as he notices how overwhelmed she appeared to be. It slightly concerned him, yet he figured that she was genuinely scared from nearly gaining a concussion.

Leaning in without saying a word, he slightly bends inward with his chest caving in towards her, she slightly gasps at his sudden notion.

"wh...what are you-"

Reaching a hand, he takes a piece of her hair that laid against her cheek, shifting it aside, he tucks it behind her ear, while slowly, without even touching her, pinning her backside against the shelving units as she took her steps back while he kept leaning and stepping forward.

".......you gotta be more careful....hmm?" he softly speaks, his breath grazing over her forehead.

"......uh...mmhmm...yeah.."

chuckling, he pulls back and smiles as he picks up the fallen items off the floor. Removing his jacket, he picks up the heavier items off the ground and lifts them above as he secures them to the shelves.

"i-its okay...i got it." she softly states, hoping that he would be on his way.

He suddenly shoots his head up, "I know you do....but it's good to receive some help, yeah?" he smiles as he picks up the bulk of items and, all thanks to his height, was able to easily reach up and place them neatly back on the top shelf.

............................

"Well.....i'll catch you later then." he softly exclaims after spending quite a bit of time in the shop, regardless that she wasn't speaking to him a whole lot. Still, it didn't seem like he minded.

Taking his leave, he heads back home.

He couldn't pin it down, but he felt some type of way being around her. He couldn't get enough, she was on his mind nearly every second of the day. Taking every opportunity he could to visit her at the store, he couldn't help but always smile whenever he knew he was about to see her. He couldn't piece it together, but there was something about her that gave him a feeling of peaked joy....a rush of happiness.

Instantly, from the moment he met her...saw her...heard her....and smelled her.....it was as if he.....

"Kei!"

Turning around, he sees Sooha running after him.

"Oh....hey..."

"Hey....I haven't seen you around lately, how you been?"

He slightly nods his head as his smile fades and his sight shifts to the ground. Almost as if he looked disappointed.

"Been good....."

"oh...." The young girl notes his lack of enthusiasm. She hadn't seen him since their date in seeing the movie, yet she didnt know why.

"Um....i was thinking...if you're free this weekend...did you want to go see another movie?"

Sighing out slightly, he looks up at her with a slight smile. Noticing that her hair was plastered to her face from running after him, he reaches up and moves a piece of the hair away from her face.

"....I think.....I'm going to have to take a rain check....I've got a lot going on at the moment....."

"Oh.....okay then...." the look of sadness and disappointment takes over her elated expression.

"Take it easy, alright?" he softly claims as he turns back and makes his way back home, leaving the girl feeling empty without reason or explanation. His demeanor had changed. He was still kind and soft, yet there was a nature within him that was developing to something more deep.

Walking the path, the smile on his face once again reappears at the thought of her....the pretty girl named Yuan.

Not able to contain his smile, he starts to chuckle lowly as he bears teeth with his grin.

Upon breaching the intersection of the crosswalk, he spots someone...a familiar face.

Noticing Kei, the longtime friend nods over to his direction, slowly migrating his way over while holding the hand of a young woman, it was a strong hold and rather firm, yet he displayed himself ever so lovingly as he gently tags her along behind him.

"Kei, its been a while. How are things?" Heeseung speaks with a very faint smile at the corner of his mouth.

"Been good. You?" Kei issues as he slightly glances and takes notice of the woman standing behind his friend. She was quiet, and looked to be rather timid as she kept her gaze on the ground. Her face was expressionless, despite being dressed nicely. She was pretty....very pretty, one of the prettiest girls Kei's ever seen....very much like.....

"Yuan....."

Being reminded of the store owner's daughter at the sight of the young woman that was with Heeseung, Kei looks back and smirks a soft smile to the man of equal height.

"I've been good. I heard you no longer are in the force."

"Thats right. I moved on to bigger and better things, to have more time off."

"Gotcha."

Taking another notice of the woman who remained still and emotionless, Kei nudges his chin towards her direction as he sends his inquiry to Heeseung.

"You got a new girlfriend?"

Heeseung develops a wide eye'd expression, with a slight smirk of amusement with a hint of malice in its form.

"....Wife actually..."

"Oh you got married? Congratulations. I didnt hear."

"yeah...its recent."

Pulling the woman around to his front, he leads her by the strong grip he had and cradles her form by wrapping his arms around her waist, and resting his chin on her shoulder. A soft and joyful smile appears on his mouth as he nuzzles his face against her ear and whispers....

"Say hi.....baby girl."

"........Hello...."

Crossing his arms with a raised brow, a slight look of confusion with a smirk accompanying it forms on Kei's face. Chuckling, he returns the greeting.

"Hi. I"m Kei.....and you aaaaare?" he raises a brow as he tilts his face.

"her name is h/n....she's a bit shy. Dont mind it."

Kei nods his head as he shifts his gaze on the ground.

"Well then man, lets catch up sometime. It's been too long."

"Yeah. Sure." Heeseung merely responds as he nods his farewell and takes the woman, H/n, and leaves.

"Huh.....interesting." Key remarks. Yet it was strange, despite the sense of the young woman being closed in and shutting out, he couldn't get passed the similar aura of her appeal that was so much like Yuan's. He knew they couldn't have been related, yet there was something about these two particular women that exhibited such alluring and dazzling features in their gaze, and their smile. Maybe they were of the same ethnic background?

Looking back as he watches the pair leaving, another smirk forms as he slightly shakes his head to shift the front pieces of his hair away from his eyes.

Walking back, his mind drifts off to his own tale.....

"Wonder what she's doing right now.....my girl...."

Authors Note: and yes, that picture of the arm is indeed Kei's arm. Man is a beast i swear. Part 2 will be coming probably next weekend. If you guys like &team and Kei, then check back every weekend.

[boinin]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

Thanks @redrocketpanda for tagging! ❤️

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

Just three! All from this year.

2. What's your total Ao3 word count?

64,235

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Just Blue Lock presently.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 

Skewed given I published two just last week, but at time of writing it was:

Cassis Orange (132)

The Witch With Sunlight in His Hair (19) and

Between us and the trees (16)

5. Do you respond to comments?

I do my best to!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

None of them... yet. 😈 But chapter 7 of Cassis Orange has the angstiest cliffhanger I've ever written.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

My latest, Between us and the trees!

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Never; everyone's been very positive and lovely.

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes, but nothing I've published. Yet...

I like porn with plot/porn with feelings, so there's usually a lot of set-up. For me, there has to be a reason the characters are getting together. It's payoff for something.

I'm fairly vanilla in terms of the actual smut, but my writing tends to focus on the sensations the POV character is experiencing, as well as their desire for their partner. All five senses get utilised!

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you've written?

Nope! But never say never...

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge.

12. What's the longest you've ever spent working on one fic? And the shortest?

I started working out a plot for Cassis Orange on 18 March this year. So it's been eightish months at time of posting. Reasonable for a longfic that'll end up around 80,000 words long.

For The Witch With Sunlight in his Hair, I'd been sitting and thinking about the idea for a couple of months. The actual writing took maybe two or three writing sessions, the editing just one, beyond the pre-posting review. Overall, I think it was finished within a fortnight?

This is unfortunately as quick as it gets for me 🥲

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Not outside incorporating suggestions from beta reading. It sounds fun, but co-writing involves a lot of trust and understanding between the writing partners. I'm wary about the pitfalls personally. That said, I co-wrote original fiction once or twice during college in a low stakes setting, it was good fun!

14. What's your all-time favourite ship?

I'm actually not a massive shipper outside bllk! Hard to believe, I know. Anyway, it's Kunigiri.

15. What's a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

*checks list* this is depressing. I have a lot of WIPs.

There's an angst fic I started, which is set after the ending of the third rounds of NEL matches. The hook is Chigiri gets injured by Shidou, leading to a reconciliation with Kunigami, but the anger he experiences creates additional motivation for him to go kick Shidou's ass.

My drive for this one was tied to figuring out Kunigami's deal. I'm unlikely to return to this one, given how the manga is progressing.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Horrible thing to ask a writer! We're too stuck in our heads to be objective. But here goes.

I think my best strengths are writing dialogue and characterisation. For Cassis Orange, I've heard frequently from readers that my versions of early thirties Kunigami/Chigiri feel authentic to their canon personalities.

Description is another thing I handle OK, thanks to my own need to be able to visualise the characters and setting from my writing. I also have a decent knack for foreshadowing.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

For me, it's writing action. A lot of my work involves characters' inner monologues, or conversations between them which drive the plot. Basically, not a lot happens. It's something I'd like to improve on.

I'm also a maximalist author. If an idea could be executed in 1,000 words by another author, expect 3,000 words from me. Drabbles are anathema. Not necessarily a problem, but this tendency does make it difficulty for me to actually finish my WIPs/ideas when the initial novelty wears out.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

It can be a nice detail—but the need to translate foreign dialogue for the reader can be clunky. It breaks immersion more often than not.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Blue Lock!

I also dabbled in writing for Persona 5 prior to getting into football Squid Game this year, but never got further than making notes/outlines.

What's the thing I'm most likely to write fic for next? I'm really vibing with Undead Unluck this season, and there's barely fics for it on Ao3. If I continue to enjoy the world and the characters, and get hit with inspiration, I might write something for it. But for now, Blue Lock is keeping me busy.

20. Favourite fic you've written?

Cassis Orange is my first and favourite child 🥹 I can't wait to wrap up this story over the next couple of months—it's been a journey, as someone new to fanfiction writing, and as a Kunigiri stan.

I have a few fic writer buddies here, so I'll leave this open to anyone who reads this/follows me: if you'd like to have a go at this, please do! You can put me down as the tagger.

[crowtrobotx]

OMG YOU REMINDED ME i’ve been meaning to cry into your asks about how good chrysalis is. it’s been bouncing around my brain for weeks now. like you perfectly capture the side of karl that i’m most infatuated with— which is just how he cares for people even if he’s stubborn and ruthless and yk. just karl heisenberg. ITS SO SWEET. but you also never lose the grit of his character.

AND THEN KRIS AND LOTTIE TEAR ME APART they’re sooooo fucking well written they’re so fleshed out they’re so. real. you balance your beautiful descriptions with clever and heartfelt dialogue so perfectly. like i can’t wait for every next word i read i get so excited about it.

i got too caught up in how obsessed i am with your writing i forgot i had like. an actual question— what was your inspiration for writing the fic? bc your overall theme of how science can create both terrible and beautiful things is really interesting and i love it. and i really enjoy how your characters embody this.

me personally, my inspiration for my fic came from seeing how different ethan and heis were and how their deal would’ve never worked out. bc karl simply doesn’t understand what it’s like to love someone— he’s never had someone to care about (as far as we see in the game). so ethan’s bleeding heart goes completely over his head. so i was wondering what would happen if heis DID understand ethan. what if he DID have someone to care about.

and i was wondering if you thought the same? (don’t spoil anything if you don’t want to) but will that motivate his actions in a different way when it comes to the events of the game?

anyway ily and your stuff mwah ❤️

🥺

PLEASE oh my goodness thank you so much for the kind words. You have no idea how much they mean to me! I am trying to be better about being dismissive of any compliments because I still genuinely feel baffled that people who are not me are enjoying this so much but I am so so so so glad for it all the same.

I’m honestly very happy to hear you say that you think I don’t “lose the grit” of his character because that’s something I’ve honestly struggled with trying to balance! I mean, that’s kinda crazy to say, because this is a dude who was on screen for like ten minutes lol but I feel pretty strongly with the way he swings wildly between homicidal rage and moments of stark vulnerability, there’s something resembling a person capable of love and care under there. We never got a backstory for him and I think most of us are on the “he was taken as a child, not an adult” train, so I’m always trying to depict a battle between a kid who was robbed of any opportunity for a “normal” life, the adult who came from that and has been warped into both a weapon against his will and a person hellbent on survival at all costs, and a guy who, under kinder circumstances, might have been a decent if quite a bit eccentric dude. And that’s really hard! I often worry I’ve gone and made him too soft and that I need to focus more on him behaving like a violent toddler but I always soothe myself by remembering that Capcom didn’t exactly flesh him out which is both deeply frustrating but also leaves room for almost endless possibilities.

And hngggg loving on my original characters is like, so incredibly validating for me thank you <3 I have spent a long time thinking about those two before I even wrote a single word and I’m touched that you and others can tell and seem to enjoy it. I think I’ve mentioned it before but I’ve spent the last decade plus exclusively writing poetry, not prose, so I think sometimes that comes out with my descriptions and general style. It’s kind of a harder transition than I imagined but I’d like to think I’m getting better chapter by chapter lol.

Anyway, that’s enough about me. I love your stated inspiration for Heisenberg Principle – it totally comes through in your work and I absolutely agree. It’s actually quite similar to Chrysalis, at least in part. I, too, don’t think Ethan would have ever accepted the proposal. I say this with zero hate in my heart for the folks who were gunning for a team up DLC but I actually would have been furious if they’d done that and it hadn’t ended with Karl betraying him and a black screen with “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING” on it popping up lmao. Yes, Heisenberg is meant to play at your heartstrings because it’s clear he doesn’t want to be there and anyone can sympathize with that – but I thought it was pretty clear that the player was meant to notice the hypocrisy in his massive rant about how he’s not like his siblings or his “Mother” while he proceeds to commit unspeakable horrors. (I’ve seen some folks argue that it’s ‘not that bad’ because they’re corpses or whatever but like…. Come on, man.) I tend to view his interactions with Ethan as hugely manipulative. Karl’s a living weapon. He sees Ethan as another living weapon, one he can use to dispatch with his siblings, and Rose as THE living weapon to kill Miranda. Miranda has used Heisenberg as a tool his whole (?) life so why should he think any other human relationships are different.

Which I guess leads to Chrysalis. I was also hugely interested in exploring what that confrontation would have looked like if they both had someone to protect/love and more specifically if they were both fathers. My longtime Heisenmoots can tell you I’ve been singularly obsessed with this idea since like…. Day one lol. I am hoping that it will flesh out some of his canon interactions or at least make them more interesting while also perhaps maybe change the way he ultimately interacts with Mr. Ethan “Loses a Hand Biweekly” Winters. There’s a bit of personal inspiration in there, of course. Lottie is, for example, the daughter I would want if I had one: kinda feral, smart, authentic, a little weird. Kris is in part an exploration of my own chronic illness/disability struggles – many Heisenberg fics involve the reader/OC becoming a lord (which is COOL and AWESOME and I love all these characters, to be very clear) but I wanted to look at a story where that person doesn’t mesh well with the Cadou, where through no fault of their own they succumb to it like so many other nameless folks before. Not saying I was trying to be ~edgy~ but I also thought it would be fun to subvert the traditional “Karl and OC make a vessel” story which, again, I do not blame anyone for writing because it’s right there. And, yes, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say I just love this queer old man and I wanted him to have something, anything good in his life.

I feel like I’ve been rambling like a lunatic lol I could say so much more but I’m afraid I sound totally unhinged. Before I shut my trap, I’ll say that like many I felt there was a lot to be desired with how little backstory and motivation we were presented in this otherwise compelling game. There is something they’re trying to say about parenthood and something they’re trying to say about fairy tales and it all just… leads nowhere. No, RE has never been about satisfactory/deep character development but sheesh there really is the skeleton of something crazy good here. The whole of Chrysalis is leading up to that confrontation (I believe @vodkafolie called it a Dad Battle which I love lol) and I don’t want to spoil too much but it’s going to be both about that whole idea of ‘what if he actually did pick up what Ethan was trying to throw down’ but also the whole idea of love as madness and is there a point where in trying to preserve that love you can cause too much destruction and squeeze to hard and crush it like a bug in your palm.

Again thank you thank you thank you for your kindness, mwah right back ily2 <3

[intheorangebedroom]

Hello! So, I recently came across Pleased to Meet You and after I read the first chapter I loved it so deeply I chose it as my vacation read and I finished it last week. It might have been the slowest read of my life because I loved it so so much (like on another level truly) that I kept rereading the chapters before going into the next one because I didn’t want it to end. Honestly, it was one of my favorite reading experiences from the last couple of years. I loved and adored and savored every second of it. Every word. Lemme start saying that your writing is something else. It’s so beautiful and incredibly poetic, like. If you’re not a professional writer I hope someday you become one so I can read every single one of your books. I’ll learn French if necessary. That’s how much I love your writing. The way you went between the present and the weekend in 🧡 the orange bedroom 🧡 no words can express how brilliant I think that was. And then there is this beautiful, gorgeous, breathtaking, heartbreaking but ultimately heartwarming, once-in-a-lifetime love story. And of course I stalked your blog after reading and I saw you saying that you consider PTMY a fairytale and it makes so much sense!!!! As the hopeless romantic that I am, I love love LOVE reading about epic love stories like this. I cried so much while reading it. When she first loses his number and there’s a description of her crying her eyes out for a whole night, I cried with her. I felt this story and their feeling so deeply. I may have cried on every chapter??? Sometimes I was sad for them and other times I was just purely emotional about how beautiful, their love was. The way you wrote their feelings and how they perfectly complemented each other in all the right ways 🥹🥹🥹🥹 I swear to you my heart is racing just remembering it. I can’t possibly try to fit in here all my favorite parts, but there was on part from the epilogue where Frankie is describing how he doesn’t wash his shirt after she wears it because he wants to smell her scent in it, and that he wears her rubber bands on his wrist and washes his hair with her shampoo (see I read the epilogue twice and slowly, I have it very fresh in my mind). That’s so beautiful, so gorgeous. It’s so poetic. I don’t even think I have the right words to describe how much this story touched my heart. That’s the kind of love I dream of and I think that’s why this story just hit me different. I was so emotional throughout all of it and I cried so much in the last couple of chapters before the epilogue (more than in the others). I’m in love with this beautiful and amazing love story. I truly am. And your characterization of Frankie is so perfect, so on point. I think it’s the best I’ve ever read. Even the background you gave him, everything makes so much sense and matches his personality perfectly and I loved it so much. That is exactly how I would like to imagine him. Just perfection. And Gabrielle. What an amazing original character. I love her so much. She brought so much depth to the story. I adore every single detail about this story. It was perfect in every way for me. I love absolutely everything about it. Also, what a pretty coincidence that I chose Timeless by Taylor Swift as their soundtrack for while I was reading it (I literally played this song on repeat while reading it) and I just thought it suited them so well, and there’s even a part in the epilogue where Frankie says he feels like he’s known her all his life and the lives before, and that he’d find her in every other life/reality. This song has a lyrics that says “so even in a different life, you still would have been mine, we still would have been timeless” 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹 LIKE!!!! That’s so Frankie x Gabrielle coded! I really feel like their love is exactly that kind of love where two souls keep finding each other in different lives! JUST AH!!!! 🥹🥹🥹🥹 I’m so emotional over them and so invested! I could go on and on about how much I thoroughly enjoyed and adored every single minute spent reading this story! Thank you for writing it! 🧡

My dearest, dearest Dora, I sincerely hope you will forgive me for hanging on to this ask for as long as I did. If I have to be honest, the only reason why I'm finally putting it out there is because I don't want you to think I haven't read it, or didn't appreciate it. Far from it. On the very contrary, I want everyone to know how much it means to me. How much you mean to me. Even though I don't have words strong enough to express those very bright feelings. Even though I can be so very shy with my emotions.

My heart grows three sizes every single time I come back to your words. This might sound overly dramatic (my gothic heart) but I was feeling pretty low when I received your message, and it's been a beacon of light while I navigated the dark ocean of this never-ending and painful summer...

Thank you. A million times thank you for reading my fairy-tale, for loving it so much (I still can't wrap my head around that) and being brave enough to come tell me about it.

I wrote PTMY and its characters to cater to my own needs. It's one of the most personal, if not the most personal thing I've created in my entire life. It is certainly something that has simultaneously made me happy and extremely vulnerable, that has allowed me to meet incredibly nice people, to find closure and shed some very old scar tissues.

To know that you're out there, somewhere, and that my words resonated with you, that you found them, that they moved you, that they made you cry sad and happy tears... It's wild. I don't think I've ever experienced anything like that. I don't think I can explain the affection I feel for you 🧡

You have pinpointed and singled out everything that matters to me, everything I tried to convey. In the epilogue especially, which was way too long, I scrapped the paragraph that describes Frankie's shameless acts of love about five time, only to put it back in six times, and I'm glad I did because you read it, and you loved it 🧡 But what moves me most is to know that you loved my Frankie and my Gabrielle so much. Again, I struggle to wrap my head around that, but again, I am so fucking thankful that you did.

One last thing and I'll let you be, I'm sorry this message is already so long, but that Taylor Swift song???? Phew... I have a small collection of old photographs. I buy them in antique stores, garage sells, etc, and I love to invent stories about them, and mostly to give them a house because it breaks my heart that people's lives are scattered about like that. So yeah. I cried an awful lot listening to it for the first time and imagining that my story reminded you of it. Oh and the part when she sings about praying at night, hoping he's fine? I listened to it at least three times before realising she doesn't say anything about him being a pilot!!

Again, Dora, sweet Dora, thank you, from the bottom of my gothic heart. And if you're ok with it, I'm sending you the warmest embrace, the tightest hug, open hands, Frankie style 🧡🧡🧡

[internerdionality]

���️♥️♥️ WIP ask meme: Burning Like Embers Falling Tender ♥️♥️♥️

Oooh, fun one! (Okay, I admit, I like all my WIPs or I wouldn't be writing them, but... this one is fun)

This is one of my (now jossed) canon deviation fics, set after the Season 1 finale of Our Flag Means Death. In this fic (which will eventually be SteddyHands), Stede has been chasing Edward across the Caribbean trying for a reunion, but Ed's still kinda pissed about the whole abandonment thing (and locked into appeasing Izzy, who he doesn't want to lose again). After getting struck by lightning, Edward decides to pretend to have limited amnesia—going back to before Izzy challenged Stede to that duel—to get Stede and Izzy to stop fighting over him.

(No matter how fucking unhinged I wrote Kraken-era Ed—and this one is pretty unhinged—I came nowhere near matching canon).

On Roach's advice (and for their own selfish purposes, of course) Stede and Izzy decide to play along and cooperatively pretend that all the events from episodes 6 through 10 never happened.

Unfortunately, I did a really, really stupid thing when I started this fic and decided to have three POVs in every chapter, which means that every chapter takes forever. I've got almost 25K up on AO3 just from three chapters, and the fourth chapter (currently in the works) is on par to add like 10K more. Here's a snippet!

“But listen, Ed, about what’s changed in the last few months—”

“You make a finer figure of a pirate this way, I’ll give you that,” Ed said, sauntering closer. He flicked a finger against the single onyx drop earring that Stede wore, then trailed his hand down Stede’s chest. “But I hope that you and I still get the chance to play fine gentlemen now and again, hmm? Not with people like those asshats you set on fire—”

Stede spluttered a bit, finding that description of his actions a little difficult to swallow. 

“But it’d be fun to do something fancy with just us, or maybe some kind of shindig with the crew?” 

“Oh,” Stede said, distracted again from his determination to do the right thing. “That would be… lovely, Ed, truly—” 

“Yeah?” Ed slunk closer, his hips catching Stede’s eyes as they swayed from side to side. “Even if I use the wrong spoons?” 

Stede felt a grin tugging at his lips.  He couldn’t help but take hope from the memory of how they’d ended that night so in sync, despite the tumultuous beginnings. Really, when he thought back to those early days, despite how blind he’d been… Perhaps they did have a strong enough foundation to—

“S’weird to think that night was what, more’n half a year ago for you?” Ed murmured. He was still closer, now, near enough that Stede could feel the warmth of his breath as he spoke. “Was just a week or so, for me.”  

“I suppose it would be, yes,” Stede said, thinking back. 

“I wanted you, that night,” Ed said softly.

[hide-in-imagination]

12, 14, & 23 for the WIP ask game :D

Thank you!

I'll answer these based on Roads That Cross since that's the WIP you all know-- if anyone wants to ask about another I haven't posted yet, go ahead!

12. Will/do you have multiple drafts or versions of your WIP, and if so, what draft or version are you on right now?

Oof, oh my god. Um, well, as you all know I've been working on Roads for 5 years now, and I don't write in chronological order, so I've basically had 40 different Word documents on my folder for a long time, each for every future chapter. Some scenes have changed throughout the years, mainly because my writing has evolved and because I've gotten better ideas for them since the first time I ever came up with them. I usually just delete what I don't like and rewrite it, but, there are some scenes, especially from chapter 30 and afterward, that are very important and so I don't want to lose anything, no matter how it might no longer fit with the vision I currently have. For those scenes in particular I do keep the old drafts, usually at the bottom of the same document, so that I can go back to the original versions of it and maybe rescue some sentences or feelings that I consider important. Sometimes, it's not about the scene not working out but that I have a lot of different ways that it could go, and they all work in their own way, but I know I'll eventually have to choose just one or mix it all into one because I can't have 10 different versions of the same conversation kjsdn (yes, they're usually dialogue scenes that get the most drafts.) Um, I'd say those scenes are in version #3 by this point ? The oldest dating from 2018 or 2020, then some changes in 2021, and... I can't remember if the last time I touched them was this year or last year. But yeah, that about sums it up🙌🏻

14. What has been the hardest thing about working on this WIP so far?

Not losing motivation, I'd say. It's been a long journey. I'm constantly reading other fics since that's my favorite way of passing time, and while that's partly good for my creativity, it is also kind of discouraging because I'm constantly just seeing people writing way better than I do, and way faster than I do at that, so when you see someone cooking 7k words chapters every week, you kind of look at yourself and go Damn, what the hell am I doing?

It's a little sad to realize you don't really have a talent so you have to work 10 times harder just to reach the level of someone that whips out 12k words like it's nothing. Of course, I could defend myself saying they're writing in their native language while I'm not, but honestly, I know it wouldn't make a difference. My writing would still be the same if I wrote in Spanish, and, in fact, I think it would take me even longer to write because I would be cringing all the time ksjfskjd.

Anyway, in summary, keeping it going has been the hardest part, but I just try to remind myself that I don't need to be Shakespeare, and that, by this point, I just want to finish it so I can put it to rest, so it shouldn't be a big deal and I try not to let it affect me😂

23. What is the weirdest thing you’ve had to google for this WIP so far?

Oh my god, remember "With a new perspective" ? I spent months, MONTHS, googling about bathrooms 🤣🤣🤣 I JUST- again, English is not my first language, so I wasn't sure how to describe the things in Ámbar's bathroom, and hell- not even in Spanish I knew how to call some stuff 😂 Plus, first I had to come up with a mental image of it, so I went on a deep dive on Google Images, Pinterest, etc. And when I found something that I liked, then I had to discover how that specific shape of furniture was called. I became an expert on all the kinds of bathtubs there is 😂😂 I was so insane that my best friend even joked about it, sending me tiktoks "just so you can look at the bathroom" 🤣🤣 The worst part is, the bathroom descriptions weren't even important in that chapter compared to everything that was going on😂😂 But for me it was really important that everyone knew Ámbar had a ceiling-to-sink, wall-wide mirror and that she calls it "the usual bathroom mirror everyone has" because it was funny to me that she believes that's the normal when my bathroom mirror is literally like 40x20cms 😂😂

Anyway, I better stop ranting now. Thank you for the ask! <3

If anyone else wants to do it, the questions are right here.

[bengalaas]

A Year In Review: 2022 Writing

So I’m weeks behind the usual end-of-year memes, but whatever. The past year has not been too great, although good things happened too. Anyway, here’s how it compares in terms of writing: 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |

Writing

I wrote a measly 7600w for A Different Kind of Courage, making 2022 the... third (?) year in a row when I’ve been planning to finish the fic, but then life happens and everything flies out the window. But those were quite solid three chapters and I’m rather proud of them, as the story reached the crash-and-burn end point of an arc. It was terribly satisfying to write. So many things coming finally together, mmm.

In the beginning of last year I randomly started Poludnica / Midday Shadows, a Shadow & Bones fanfic, of all things, and got some 16k words in before Russia’s war in Ukraine made me kinda unwilling to continue writing in a setting/aesthetic based on romanticized Tsarist Russia. But it was very fun while the inspiration lasted and maybe someday I’ll pick it back up.

I also wrote a small ‘Tasertricks in Thedas AU’ oneshot Dancing In the Ruin; a tiny M!Lavellan/Josie drabble Air; a similarly tiny Matt/Elektra ficlet Trade it all in for a lifetime of smelling your skin; and translated two fics: People Caught in a Storm (American Gods) by @spaceinthecage and Leave Barefoot (The Punisher) by She is Hale, which is a prose poem and I’m pretty proud of that one too :)

So that’s 38,600 words writing and 2145w translation.

Somehow, I apparently have had less productive years. (how...??)

Beta thanks

@serial-chillr is still as awesome as ever, she knows the craft, and she also just holds my hand when I haven’t posted anything in a while and suddenly start doubting every single damn thing I know about English grammar XD

Progress

I think Poludnica was the most important learning exercise, as I cut myself some slack and just let myself get some writing done. So there’s some time-jumping, cutting of boring scenes I didn’t want to write, there’s short chapters, there’s more summaries and less descriptions than usual, etc. But apparently the pacing still works okay. So yeah, I guess I now have experience consciously writing an average fic just for fun :D

I also discovered that prose poems are a thing, and that I love them. There should be more of them.

Community

I’ve kinda drifted away from DA and The Hobbit; blazed through Shadow & Bone, and then @sausagesquirrel dragged me into the Daredevil/The Punisher fandom. So I’m making some new friends like @youwouldneverbreakthechain​  and appreciating the ones I’ve known for years, like the excellent @cafeleningrad, @serial-chillr, @vyrridiana, @dafan7711, and other pocket friends (and @dorianpink came back to tumblr!!) ♥

Comments

Unexpectedly many, on a fic I didn’t give much of a damn about :D So fandom is weird.

But also I’m so impressed by Serial and Squirrel and @valla-valla who have kept reading my fics even in new fandoms: you are so lovely, and your support means a lot to me ♥

2023

Honestly, I just want to finish something by this point lol. I’m hoping to have more free time this year, but I think that, for a while, at least, if I’ll be writing anything, it will be behind the scenes until I’m sure I can carry on. I really don’t want to update and then disappear again.

So that’s the most important plan. Sort out this inconvenience called depression, and fall in love with writing again :)

[bleachbleachbleach]

11/21-11/27/22

WHAT A WEEK OF Ws AND Ls.

The Ls: I spent a lot of this week feeling bad about myself and writing fanfic anyway because I had time this week that I’m not going to have next week, and then feeling worse about myself because the fanfic was bad, and I felt bad about it being OOC, and also not having any real narrative coherence or value, and being structurally completely insane. Also, this chapter is now 10,000 words long and is not yet complete and I know I was trying to convince myself earlier that there is absolutely no reason a chapter can’t be a novella, but also why would it need to be. But the parts that are bad need to be there in some form, so I have to fix them, not simply delete them.

The Ws: I kept writing. PRESS ON REGARDLESS. Hisagi and Matsumoto had a better conversation than I thought they were going to have. I don’t think it’s quite there, but it’s way better than the version I wrote last year and this week deleted all of. In a different conversation, I managed to work in a reference to the Koifushi Bananas, my beloved. I wrote most of the 2nd of 4ish fight scenes in this fic, which I was concerned about because I don’t want them to feel repetitive; and I personally think fight scenes are more interesting to watch than to read. But this one has a JELLY WOLF  (except it’s not jelly, or a wolf, this is a terrible description), which I’m happy about, because the entirety of the outline for this part was just "I’ll probably need you to cover for me. Don’t go too far." and “shikai” and I didn’t know there was going to be a Jelly Wolf. 

I am very fond of Jelly Wolf, so here is most of his scene:

Faster. She needs to be faster. One at a time won’t be good enough.

Matsumoto splits her attention. Haineko, at the back of her mind. Haineko, entrusted. They are faster and stronger together but Haineko can hold her own, ash moving like a lynx through the trees, only to dissipate and move like no creature at all. 

Matsumoto can smell it now, gamey and rich—not blood, Hollows don’t have blood—so thick it’s obliterative to all else.

(Her captain, somewhere. Don’t get too far. Don’t let him get too far—)

Matsumoto shoots through the forest, trying to close distance. She doesn’t think she can make the same kidou net as Hinamori had when they’d fought together in the Winter War, its tight weave almost invisible against the reishi around it, but with any luck she won’t have to. These Hollows are the monstrous kind, not the deceitful—no language, no games. Just hunger.

Stay that way, she prays, and sets bombs. Kidou, nascent, connected by thready intent, ready to be brought together by a final syllable.

Haineko rushes her, splitting the branches from a tree as the ash streams past, friction smoke rising in her wake, and Matsumoto falls into a defensive stance. Haineko materializes as a blade just as black jaws close around her, jaws so large they can’t belong to anything that fits inside this forest. Jaws so large that as they swallow her whole, Matsumoto remains whole. The bite is jagged and she slips through the cracks.

She is and isn’t inside something. The Hollow is more a ghost of a thing than a thing, powerful enough that inside it like this, Matsumoto can feel her body buckling under pressure. Her muscles contact like they’re responding to brutal touch and her breaths come in shallow gasps as her lungs struggle to inflate. She can see the trees through its body, curving inward like ribs, rafters on which this Hollow has hung its shape. Why work around the forest when you can become it?

Matsumoto croaks out the final syllable of her bomb net.

As expected, it’s not enough—all seven bombs blow a hole only large enough for Matsumoto to take one gasping breath of free air before the Hollow’s spiritual pressure shoves her to the ground once more, popping the breath from her lungs.

The jaws come back. They’re clearly not attached to any head, nor is it likely they have any sense that they should be, but in Matsumoto’s mind it’s like a wolf turning inside out, teeth chasing prey down its own throat. Matsumoto throws her sword up to block, another thing that should have been kidou but isn’t, because all language floods from her mind and she doesn’t think she can speak— she can’t breathe—

Matsumoto bets on black, lets her jaws close around her again as Haineko dissipates, and hopes the fangs will miss her again. She sends Haineko away, rushing low over the ground, splintering the tops of roots as they head for the base of the rib-trees.

She feels a sharp pain at her thigh, and gasps.

Blood, blood for sure, as her cheeks turn deathly cold then hot, nervous system jolted into frenzy by sudden uncertainty—where her body begins and ends, what exists within and without. But it’s not a puncture, nothing’s crushed—she can move freely and does, hand slicking instantly as she tries to gauge the depth of the wound. She has no idea what hurt her, until she reminds herself that this Hollow is not, in fact, a wolf—not even one the size of a forest, with its head down its throat. Perhaps the teeth are barbed, perhaps they are not teeth at all. She staggers until the pressure forces her to her knees again.

Tree line, she reminds herself. Tree line, tree line—

At least, she hears a crack, as the earth, carved away by Haineko, begins to release the tree roots, and the tree comes down. The second tree already, she realizes with some relief—the first, while she was in the jaws.

Her leg isn’t off too poorly. It’s painful, missing enough skin to risk infection if she weren’t to tend it, but it’s not deep and it’s bleeding, but not profusely. She’s okay, she’s okay. She hears another tree fall. Faster.

Kidou, this time. First a kekkai, thrown hastily between her and the not-jaws, but a far better defense than her sword. Then bakudou, towards the trees. Used normally, this bakudou will stills the current of reiryoku in an opponent. Trees are not the same, but all life flows with reishi, and Matsumoto tries to imagine the vascular inside of a tree, tries to imagine the small death of all that reishi—water and nutrients and whatever else—coming to a stop. She imagines the burnt out husks of trees after a lightning strike, the emptiness of dry wood stacked neatly in the 10th Division kitchens.

Haineko rips through the dead spots, and the trees come down, one after another after another. With it comes the Hollow, body collapsing with the trees.

Matsumoto rolls, too conscious of the pain as her bleeding thigh bounces over rock and root.

Faster. Haineko doesn’t have enough ash to match the size of the Hollow. She’ll need to make up for it in speed—faster, faster—

There’s nothing to aim for, in this Hollow that is too big for this forest and is this forest and is not a wolf and is and is not a set of jaws and is a heaviness, a great dark mass. There is no heart to aim for, no head. If it has any kind of literal hole the only ones Matsumoto can imagine are the gaps between its teeth.

She will tear it to pieces. She has to. She will tear it to pieces until it forgets it was anything but pieces.

She doesn’t think much, after that, as her mind fills only with Haineko, only with this singular objective: Tear it apart.

Take it in your teeth and shred.

[eighthdoctor]

27, 39, 71

27. What is your most and least favorite part of writing?

favorite by far is when i do something REALLY CLEVER, on accident or on purpose. sometimes this is in planning, sometimes it comes out of the writing, and then i'm smug about it for weeks. like coming up with a 6 month spell cool down has had all kinds of beneficial fallout for the plot, while requiring basically no effort from me to throw in. i'm STILL smug about that and that's been in place for MONTHS

least favorite: i have characters in scene A. i want to end scene A. i want to go to scene B. i don't know how to do this. jo frequently tells me to cut the last 100 words and just close the scene.

39. Share a snippet from a WIP

i know you're not reading it yet but it IS the current WIP so here's the opening of the next chapter of The Power to Manipulate Belief

Katherine starts all days the same way: A cup of tea, black, and any reports that had come in overnight or been judged low priority enough to wait for her attention. This hasn’t changed in twenty five years, and won’t change now, even if she’s in an archaic position, even if everything else about the world goes to hell, even if her daughter is back and then gone and upending everything in her wake, she is going to have her tea and read reports. For three weeks now, like clockwork, one of those reports has come from Jaina. They’re written in a hand so neat it must be magical, but aside from that, they are— She’d stopped getting letters, after Daelin. For all intents and purposes, Jaina had left home at ten—sure, she’d come home for the occasional holiday, something which had dramatically increased when she’d learned how to portal—and for ten years, accordingly, she’d sent letters to Katherine. Childish things at first, then filled with adolescent drama, and then the first thoughts of an adult confronted with an unimaginable crisis. Then they’d ended. Now she’s getting them again, and the contrast illustrates just how much her daughter has changed. The reports are methodically organized, with Jaina’s voice and opinions apparent throughout, but always noted as such, letting Katherine see unadorned facts as well. They are also wide ranging, covering everything from Alliance policy to spying reports—why?—to trade deficits in Stormwind. She’s lost over twenty years of her daughter’s life. In a way, these reports are how Jaina is trying to bridge that gap.

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

i write pretty rigorously in chronological order (i may skip the back half of a scene if i get stuck but even then i know more or less where it's going) so not worried about character development there.

for TPTMB, i've been working really hard on having an outline (currently not up to date) and using more of some of scrivener's features which are meant for this.

the outline is just a 1-2 phrase scene description, potentially a second bullet point of any Choice Dialogue that needs to be included, and then i bold it if i've written it. periodically i check back to see OH RIGHT, I NEEDED THAT: eg, sylvanas pointing out that jaina hasn't been reflexively shielding against sylvanas was actually not in the first draft! i wrote the scene, went "hmm it's Missing Something", checked my outline and said "oh fuck duh."

i can also add notes to the doc for later edits so that i can just write the scene--chs 1 and 2 had "add more spy v spy shit" until i decided we'd hit maximum nonsense.

meanwhile in scrivener: this is from chapter 2 so spoiler free

each scene gets its own document. if i decide after writing that actually one scene needs to come before/after something else, easy enough to move. in theory the status column is telling me what needs first edits, what isn't done yet, what needs jo's edits added, etc (i'm not good at keeping this up to date). pov IS helpful because i can filter the whole file by POV and so make sure that, eg, sylvanas's references to jaina are consistent, or jaina has the right throughline in terms of theramore mentions.

and then the date is the date, and i REALLY need to update the later chapters (this is also why i used ch2), but that's part of how i'm keeping track of the timeline in fic.

the REST of keeping track of the timeline is an excel spreadsheet :)

[randomshyperson]

The Scarlet Witch Prophecy - The Fourth Year (Part I) - Chapter 04

Series Masterlist ||  Read on AO3 || All Works Masterlist

Summary: As the youngest daughter of Howard Stark, you have ordinary expectations for your years at Hogwarts. Little do you know what adventures await you when your destiny is intertwined with the legendary Scarlet Witch.

Warnings: +16. Adaptation of the Harry Potter Saga, Magical Thematic, Prophecies, Mentions of Violence, Torture and dark magic, Language (swearing and minor/major offenses), manipulation of will, Underage kissing, insinuation of smut with minors, Smut (overage), descriptions of death, aggression, obscurity, angst, fluffy, soulmates analogies.

Chapter Words:  9.832K

Authors note: In this one I start to explore more of the magical bond between reader and wanda, and well, it will be very much about that from this one on. I need to know if you all prefer longer (and more detailed) chapters about the reader's years at hogwarts like this one (which has been divided into three parts) or if you prefer the pace of the first three chapters (with only the relevant events of the whole year). Enjoy your reading.

//-// x //-// //-// x //-//

It's very different having Nebula and Gamora at home. 

You were used to having only Tony and Jarvis, and occasionally your father, but now that you have your friends sleeping in the next two rooms, you always have someone your own age to talk to and laugh about the same things.

It took a while for things to normalize, especially the first week. Thanos was furious about the letter that Gamora sent him, saying that they would live with you now. He showed up in the yard of your house the next day, and you have never seen your father so enraged.

They talked for many minutes, and then Thanos demanded to speak to his daughters. Nebula was trembling as she walked out the door, but your father stayed by their side during the entire conversation.

When they went back inside, Thanos left. Two days later, your father signed the adoption papers.

You were surprised when you discovered that Nebula was as passionate about magical mechanics as Tony, so it didn't take long for it to become commonplace for her to disappear into the basement of the house along with your brother, both of them wrapped up in some strange invention. You and Gamora usually spent most of your time in the backyard, she reading some Arithmanian stuff you didn't understand, while you played quidditch, or the two of you tended the garden. Mantis also came to visit you in the summer, and Groot was the size of a small dog now.

You exchanged many letters with Wanda during the vacations. And when Iron brought another one of them a little after dinner, on the antepenultimate week of vacation while you and Gamora were in your room talking about the coming year, she acquired a mischievous look on her face.

"What do you guys talk about so much?" She teased as you took the letter from Iron's beak. You shrugged, feeling your face heat up, and thought it better to look at the paper in your hands than Gamora's face.

“I don’t know,. Everything i think”. You answer.

Gamora is silent as you read the letter. You smile, because it is as if you hear Wanda's voice in the words you read. 

"Can I ask you something?" Gamora speaks next, you make a noise with the little one in agreement, without taking your eyes off the paper. "Have you ever kissed anyone?

"What?" you ask in surprise, raising your eyes to her. "N-no."

Gamora's arms are crossed and she's sitting on the bed, and she raises her eyebrow in disbelief.

"Is that so?" She asks and you swallow dryly, confirming. Her expression softens. "I'm only saying that because a lot of people start dating in third grade."

You close the letter in your hands, placing it on the shelf beside you. Ignoring how the subject makes your stomach flip with nervousness, you rest your hands on your knee.

"Do you think we'll start dating too?" You ask shyly, and Gamora smiles, shrugging.

"Who knows?" She retorts. "I never thought about that either. But I do know that Pietro kissed Monica on the mouth after our leave vacation inside a cabin on the Hogwarts express."

"Are you for real?" You asked in surprise. "How did you find out about that?"

"Quill wrote to me last night." She says. "I forgot to tell you."

"Wow." You say. 

"Yeah." She agrees. "Peter told me that Pietro turned red as a tomato, but kept smiling. I thought Wanda would tell you that."

You bit your tongue to avoid mentioning that you and Wanda don't talk about such things, and cleared your throat before shrugging.

"Maybe Pietro didn't say anything to her." You say. "I probably won't tell Tony when I have my first kiss."

"You're probably right." Gamora said casually. "But you're going to tell me, right? When you kiss someone, you need to tell me how to do it."

You laughed, walking over to Gamora.

"I promise I will." You say extending your pinky to her. She looks at you confused, "It's a pinky promise, haven't you ever sworn like that?"

"That's muggles' stuff." She comments with a smile, and you laugh.

"Yeah, my dad probably learned it from my mom." You say using your other hand to take Gamora's hand. "Come on, you put your finger like this, and then we swear."

Gamora laughed as she followed your commands, and then you repeated the promise. After you yawned, she bade you goodnight and went to her room.

You fought the urge to reread Wanda's letter, and threw yourself on the bed, not understanding why your brain was replaying Gamora's questions in your mind and you kept thinking of Wanda afterwards.

//-//

The Quidditch World Cup is happening this year, and you can hardly contain yourself with excitement.

You had been to the event a few times when you were younger, but now that you actually played quidditch it was a very different feeling.

Your favorite team was the Guardians of the Galaxy, who had played for England for many years, and were also your father's favorite team. Tony stopped liking them the first year, saying that they were losing too many games, but you knew it was because Steve Rogers was rooting for the Brooklyn Soldiers team and Tony was trying to impress him.

All your friends will be at the event, including many thousands of other witches from all over the world. 

You have to wake up at dawn in order not to miss the time of the portal keys that have been scattered around the country by the Ministry of Magic, to prevent wizards from being seen disappearing into inappropriate places that could expose the magical world.

When you came down to the kitchen, everyone was already having breakfast. Your father kissed your forehead as he walked past you, a mug of coffee in one hand and a newspaper in the other.

"Finally awake, sleepyhead." Teased Tony when he saw you, you just yawned. 

"Are we leaving already?" You asked sleepily, grabbing some toast.

"Yes, dear." Her father replied looking at his watch. "Get ready soon, or we'll miss the schedule."

You grumble in agreement, hurrying to get back to your room and take a shower. 

When you are ready, and stretching as you walk to the outside of the house, Gamora joins you, a backpack on her back resembling yours.

"I can't wait to see the foreign wizards." She comments excitedly making you smile. Gamora didn't like the sport, and was far more excited to see the witches from the rest of the world than to watch the match.

"I bet there's going to be some Ilvermorny people's stall." You say as you catch up with your father, who was waiting next to Tony and Nebula. Jarvis waves goodbye to you from the doorway, and you begin walking toward the trail beyond the mansion grounds. "They are so show-offy."

Gamora laughs.

"I've never met anyone from the United States." She counters. "But some witches from Japan have been to my house."

You know that the mention of home or Thanos makes Gamora very uncomfortable, so you try to skirt around the subject.

"I guess Nurse Cho was from Mahoutokoro, huh?" You comment, and Gamora shrugs. "Thor had mentioned that during a class, I think."

"I wonder if the other schools are cool like Hogwarts?" She asks, and you smile.

"No place is like Hogwarts."

Gamora laughs, but agrees. You walk in silence for a few more minutes, and it is only when you reach an empty area that you stop.

"Here we are, people." Your father says next, slightly tired from the exercise. He waves for everyone to form a circle as he checks his watch. "Two minutes to go, children. Stand in position please."

There is a small cloth boot in the center of the circle, and you are not the least bit surprised because you know that portal keys are usually the most mundane things you can think of.

You all reach down and touch the boot with your fingertips. You smile at Tony who looks up at you. Two minutes later, you feel a tug, and everything spins around you. Taking a deep breath, you focus on controlling yourself as you are falling into the portal key. And then you land on the ground.

"Here we are." Your father says smiling beside you. You look to the side to see Gamora helping Nebula to stand up properly, as she had remarked that she gets a little queasy with this kind of magic. Tony throws an arm around your shoulders next.

"Ready to see the guardians lose, kid?" He teases causing you to let out a humorless laugh.

"You wish." You grumble pushing Tony lightly, who lets go as he laughs.

And then you start walking again, until you come to a place considerably noisier than where you were before.

The ministry seemed to have bypassed an area with low chains, and you notice the magical aura around the metal, signaling that everything was magically hidden.

There is a wizard in uniform at the entrance, and he collects the tickets before letting you pass into the hut area. 

There are many tents of the most varied characteristics. You laugh in surprise when your gaze catches a conjuration exactly like a vacation castle, but much smaller in size. As you walk through the crowd, your father asks everyone to hold hands so as not to get lost as he guides you to the area where you would be staying.

Your father has rented a tent in a more private area of the place, and there are hardly any witches where you are. You like the silence, but you miss how much more fun the other place seems.

"The Rogers and the Barnes should be here by now I imagine." Your father comments as he waves his wand to open the cabin. You enter the room next, it is like a small winter home inside, very cozy.

"Yes, dad." Tony replies throwing his backpack on one of the couches. "I wrote Steve last night."

Howard grumbles in agreement, walking to the kitchen. You place your backpack on the floor next.

"Daddy, can I go look for Wanda and Pietro?" You ask and your father laughs, denying it.

"You didn't eat anything before you left, honey." He says turning around. "Eat something and then you can go look for them."

You grumble, but agree. While you are making some eggs, Steve's family arrives.

"Howard, you outdo yourself every year, my friend." Joseph Rogers comments as he enters the cabin. Your father smiles cheerfully as he hugs him in greeting, then greets Sarah, Steve's mother, with a kiss on the cheek. He ruffles Steve's hair and pats his arm, repeating the same gesture to Bucky, who follows behind.

" Is your father not here, James?" Howard asks next, and Bucky clears his throat.

"No, sir." He replies. "Since my sisters can't come, he took them to a music event in the muggle world. If you want my opinion, rock concerts are as cool as quidditch."

The comment makes Howard laugh in agreement, but Steve's family doesn't seem to understand very well.

Soon they were all around the room, talking animatedly about the most varied subjects. You exchanged a complicit look with Gamora and Nebula, and you took advantage of your father being involved in a conversation with Joseph to leave the cabin.

"Do you have any idea where Professor Lehnsherr has placed the tents?" Gamora asks you once you are outside and you look around.

"No." You reply. "Wanda just wrote that she and Pietro were going to be here too, but I don't even know if it's Magneto that's bringing them."

"We're just left to look then." Nebula concludes and you nod in agreement, starting to walk.

You walk back to the common tent area, looking around.

Gamora and Nebula are easily distracted by the amount of interesting things to see, and almost lose track of you when some witches from the Salem Institute hand them some exchange pamphlets. 

It is only at the food stall that you finally find who you were looking for.

"My god, is that...?" You hear Gamora exclaim next to you in surprise. You know she was talking about Professor Lehnsherr, who is wearing jeans and a T-shirt and sunglasses and looks very well, and has a completely different posture than he usually has in class, but you are not looking at him anymore. 

Your stomach is restless because you are looking at Wanda, wearing a black skirt with knee socks and boots, and a red jacket. She looks beautiful, and you are blushing.

Gamora waves to them from a distance, and it is Pietro who notices you guys first, waving back cheerfully while nudging Wanda on the shoulder. She blinks in confusion and then smiles when she sees you.

You think your legs have turned to jelly, but you continue walking toward her. 

"It's so good to see you girls" Pietro exclaims happily as he hugs Gamora. 

"Hi, Wanda." You greet with a half-hearted smile, but Wanda's face lights up and she jumps at you, hugging you tight, and making your heart soar. "It's good to see you too." You whisper humorously against her hair, and Wanda releases you with a reddened face, smiling widely.

"I missed you." She says to you shyly making you look away clumsily, but before you can add anything else, Pietro is greeting you as well, and Wanda does the same with your sisters.

"Hello everyone." Said a male voice next, and you stared at Professor Erik awkwardly. He didn't seem bothered by being approached by any of you, however, a hot dog in his hands. 

"Hello, Professor Lehnsherr." You and your sisters said in unison, but the man had an almost friendly expression. 

"Don't worry about being formal while we're here, girls." He says. "We're just sorcerers in here, looking for a little cheap entertainment."

You and Gamora exchange a look, not knowing exactly what to say next. Professor Erik sighs, and then looks at his children.

"You can go spend some time with the Starks, twins." He says making his kids let out excited exclamations. "Be back by the start time of the match, please. I don't want to lose sight of you in a place with so many people of unreliable origin."

You don't quite understand what "unreliable origin" means, but you don't question it, excited to spend some time with the Maximoffs.

After Erik gives them a few galleons to buy whatever snacks they want, you walk back to the cabin.

//-//

You spent the whole afternoon with all your friends in the cabin, playing magical games, practicing simple spells, and trying to guess the outcome of the match. When the first warning alarm sounded, you all let out a chorus of excitement.

You ran to your room, looking for the cheerleader accessories you had obtained, while ignoring the teasing Tony was throwing at you about the opponent team's sure victory.

He and the Rogers were all wearing blue and white scarves, bracelets and hats, which represented the colors of the Brooklyn Soldiers.

Your father was wearing a big red jacket with the symbol of a gold star, the team's mark. You gave him one of the buttons you brought.

Pietro was also rooting for the Soldiers, along with Nebula and Bucky, so you didn't try to lend any of your accessories to them.

Wanda was in the room when you put a blue scarf with gold accents around her neck.

"For you to support the team." You commented excitedly, without any idea that Wanda's flushed face was because the scarf smelled like you.

"Thanks." She said shyly, and you just nodded, holding some bottons on her shirt.

Gamora borrowed one of the hats you brought.

When you walked towards the stadium area, all the other spectators were leaving their tents and tents and going in the same direction, so the crowd was even bigger. You did your best not to get lost.

Once inside the iron structure, you felt someone nudge your shoulder.

"Pietro and I need to find Dad." Wanda said and you waved, but then frowned, nodding back.

"I think he found you first." You comment while watching Erik look at you as he enters the same iron corridor. He looks at your family and friends next for a moment, his expression serious. "See you after the game, right?"

"Of course." Wanda smiles before touching your arm lightly. You still feel the touch many moments later.

//-//

The match is absolutely incredible. It is even better because the guardians win with a remarkable difference when catcher Jean Gray captures the Snitch after the second half, the stadium vibrating in celebration.

It's a complete mess after that. There are fireworks, and a lot of noise. Even though they lost the match, all the Brooklyn Soldiers fans are so impressed with the incredible match that they join the celebrations.

You stumble out of the stadium between laughter, Gamora's arm around your shoulders as she laughs at the dance that your father and Joseph are doing on the way back.

Fans of the Guardians continued to light the celebratory fireworks, and there was a huge fireworks scarlet dragon streaking through the skies above your heads.

Your dad and the Rogers family go back to the cabin while you stay outside with Bucky and your friends, wanting to enjoy the rest of the fireworks display. You also want to see Wanda again.

"The Guardians are very excited, aren't they?" Bucky comments with a laugh, noticing an increase in the volume of the crowd's screams. You laugh and you look at the sky again.

When you blink, there is an explosion noise in the distance, so muffled by the other sounds that it makes you confused. Your friends don't seem to have heard, and you step forward, watching the crowd closely.

You see a lot of people laughing, and dancing, and it takes a minute for you to also notice those who are running.

"Guys." You call in confusion, and Gamora who was closest to you turns around with curiosity. "I think there is something wrong."

Another explosion occurs and this time everyone listens. The crowd in front seems to gradually realize that there is something wrong going on. And then the firework dragon in the sky is fading, considerably dimming the lighting.

Your father came out of the hut the next moment, a concerned look on his face, and the wand in his hands.

You feel a panic rising in the pit of your stomach when people start running and screaming, and you notice spells being cast from a distance. You were thinking it might be some kind of cheering team fight, but the possibility is completely ruled out when you notice the masked men in the crowd.

"Get your things now." Order your father out loud and then you are all moving back to the cabin, picking up all your belongings quickly. You hold the backpack tightly against your shoulders when you go out again, complete chaos around you. Your father, Joseph and Sarah lead you among the people, shouting that you need to get back to the portkey. You gasp in surprise when you feel a twinge behind your eyes, and you are struck by a vision of a forest. This little delay is enough to make you stay behind and lose sight of your family.

But you are not looking for them anyway. Your feet are spinning in the opposite position, and you are pushing people to run. You need to find Wanda.

//-//

You end up at the end of the camp, the tents far behind you. The sound of confusion drowned out by the distance. Feeling a new stab of pain in the head, your knees give way and your body lowers, while you raise your hands to your face, immediately being hit by a vision. This time you see a shadow of a tall figure, perhaps a man, standing in front of you. There is a metallic taste of blood in your mouth, and you want to get away, but there is something holding you back. When you blink, you're back the end of the camp.

You don't understand what's going on, and there is a feeling of hopelessness and helplessness in your chest, but you keep walking, crossing the magical chain and moving into the forest. You fall to the ground on your knees a moment later, intense pain all over your body. Gasping, you look up, only to see a green light form in the sky.

At first you thought it might be fireworks, but it was magic. The symbol of a hydra conjured in the clouds was beginning to move, and your entire body weighed.

You looked down, and your eyes caught a figure in the woods. It was a man, but he was too far away and you couldn't see his face. He had his wand raised to the sky, clearly being responsible for conjuring it up. Your head started to spin in pain, and you rested your hands on the ground to try to normalize your breathing, and then the man looked at you.

You felt your heart race when he started walking towards you, but then there were screams and footsteps, and he ran. A moment later, your father was kneeling beside you.

"Darling! Are you okay?" He asked worriedly raising his hands to your face looking for bruises. You sighed, still in pain. Only when the aurors of the ministry of magic raised their wands to the sky and made the mark disappear,  you feel your body relieve immediately.

"I saw a man." You confessed breathlessly, and your father looked at you with confusion. But the wizards of the ministries seemed quite interested.

"Where, child?" Asked one of the aurors, you gasped slightly, feeling your body tremble a little.

"He went in that direction." You say pointing. "He was the one who conjured."

The woman nodded in understanding, and left after whistling for the rest of the Aurors to follow her. Your father helped you to stand.

"Honey, listen to me carefully." He said in a mixture of concern and seriousness. "Don't tell anyone about this."

“What, daddy? I don't.."

"Honey, please." He interrupts by stroking your cheeks with his thumb. “I will explain everything to you, I promise. But this needs to stay between us. You can't tell anyone what you saw in the sky.”

You swallow dry, but agree. Your dad doesn't let go of your hand all the way back to the portkey, and when you rejoin your friends again, you lie and say you just got lost in the food stall area after he gives a little grip on your fingers.

//-//

Your father doesn't explain anything to you.

When you return home, he receives urgent howlers from the ministry, and then he returns to the ministry of magic.

You are walking around the kitchen, outraged that you were prevented from looking for Wanda on your way out of the stadium and you have no idea if she is okay.

"What if the Maximoffs have a phone?" You grumble to yourself, but then you remember that you don't even have the number. You press your hands to your face, trying to calm yourself down. Wanda was fine. She had to be.

Gamora and Nebula are sitting on the couch, discussing something with each other, looking concerned. Tony locked himself in the room after Howard refused to tell him what was going on.

You don't understand why you have this horrible feeling in your chest, and you can't stop wondering if Wanda is okay, and then you support your hands on the table, trying to normalize your breathing and stop yourself from crying.

"Hey, breathe." You are almost startled by the voice at your side. Gamora touches your back tenderly, and you shake your head, feeling the tears flow. "She's fine, you need to breathe."

"You don't know that." You snap out of breath, and then Gamora puts her hand on your shoulder, asking you to look at her.

“We met Erik on the way out while you got lost. They left before you came back. ” She tells and you blink confused. “Wanda is safe. Breathe."

You gasp, and then your body relaxes as if a weight has been lifted off your back. Gamora looks at you with a mixture of concern and confusion, but you sigh, hugging her in appreciation.

"Thank you." You whisper against her hair. "I should have asked."

When you let go, she still looks at you with concern.

"Yeah, I know." She says assessing her face. "You should have asked how anyone else would do it."

You frown, not understanding what she is saying. But she still looks at you, suspicious.

“It looks like you were barely listening to us when your dad brought you back. And then I find you like that, and one word is enough to get you back to normal. ”

"What do you mean, Gamora?"

"I'm worried about you." She says. "I don't know what it is, but there is something strange about the way Wanda affects you."

You change the weight of your feet, uncomfortable with the direction of the conversation.

"What are you talking about?"

"She's talking about you not being able to bewitch Wanda." Nebula adds by getting up and walking over to you. You blink confused, ready to say that story was too old, but the girl is not intimidated. "She's talking about the way you behave around her."

"I don `t…"

"It's not just about liking someone." Nebula interrupts and you feel your cheeks heat up. "Gamora thought it was because you are in love, but that seems like something else."

Something in your stomach falls. You gasp in surprise.

"I'm not i-in love!" You exclaim with a racing heart. "I'm not…"

Gamora sighs impatiently, messing with hair. And trying to calm you down, she puts her hands on your shoulders next.

"Listen to me, okay?" She asks. "There's something weird about the way you care about Wanda. We don't know what it is, but you need to admit that you can see that too."

Facing your friend back, it takes a moment while you think of your words, for you to speak again.

"I saw a mark in the sky." You confess, deciding to disobey your father. Gamora blinks in confusion, and you clear your throat before you clear up everything that happened. Her hands fall off your shoulders when she opens her eyes wide for your confessions.

"Are you sure it was a hydra?" Nebula asks seriously and you wave.

"Do you know what that means?" You ask, and the girls exchange a look, but before they say it, you hear another voice.

"It is the Mephisto mark."

You get scared of Tony coming down the stairs, his gaze on you as he walks over to where you are. He folds his arms when he reaches you.

"Which means death walkers are back."

"Tony ..."

"You said you saw a wizard." He interrupts seriously. "Do you have any idea who it is?"

"No." You embarrassingly deny it, feeling your stomach sink with the look Tony is giving you. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You are the one who's been weird." He replies. "I'm just trying to understand what's going on."

"What did you mean by that?"

"What did you see in your head?" He counters with another question and you start to get angry at the way he is behaving, but tell him anyway. Tony sighs impatiently, turning in the opposite direction. He circles the room for a few moments before speaking again. “Daddy is never going to let us get involved in this. Especially now that you are having visions in your head. ”

"I still haven't told him about it." You grumble and Tony looks at you in surprise.

"Then don't say anything."

"What?" You exclaim with a frown in confusion. "What you mean? I need to say. I have to find out what it is. ”

Tony laughed incredulously.

"You still don't get it, do you?" he retorted. "Dad won't tell us anything. He didn't tell us about being an Auror, or about being friends with Professor Lehnsherr. He didn't even bother to try to understand why you can't bewitch Wanda!" Tony squirms angrily, and you shrink your body to the pitch of his voice. But he sighs, running his hands through his hair, and softening his expression. "I'm sorry, I'm not angry with you. It's just... I don't like being lied to."

You looked away, feeling tired. All this talk was making your head hurt, and the previous events had affected you more than you would like to admit.

"I don't know what we can do about this." You say. "I don't understand what's going on, and Dad would be the first person I would ask something, but he's not willing to help us. I feel like I'm at a dead end."

Tony lifts his arm to your shoulder, trying to reassure you.

"Hey, don't be so concerned about it." He says. "I'll find out what I can, and well, we're going back to Hogwarts next week. You and Wanda can try to figure out what this connection is about, while I try to figure out what's going on at the ministry."

You nod in agreement and Tony smiles, hugging you briefly. You hope that despite everything, you will have a quiet year at Hogwarts.

//-//

The Maximoffs are not on board the Hogwarts express.

You are in the same cabin as your friends, squeezed in because not everyone can fit in there, and you take several turns with Peter and Darcy in turn to sit down, while you are spread out in the corridor. 

"No sign of Wanda, huh?" Gamora asked as she saw you looking around the hallway for the tenth time while you were standing outside the cabin, listening to Mantis tell you about her summer from inside.

"No." You reply. "I talked to her Slytherin colleagues, but none of them were very happy to tell me anything. Wanda didn't say anything in her last letter."

"Maybe she will arrive in a flying car, I hear they are popular." She jokes, making you laugh briefly. You can't ignore the nervous feeling in your stomach, and you sigh. Gamora places her hands on your shoulders. "Let's find something to distract you, okay? How about some explosive snap?"

//-//

Laughing at Quill's joke about the last statement in the Daily Prophet, as you walked off the train with the rest of your friends toward the castle.

A chorus of excitement coming from some students ahead of you caught your and your friends' attention, who looked in the direction curiously.

"Is that a ship?" You heard someone ask as they pointed in the direction of the lake.

There was a large old ship, right in the center, coming toward the castle. Everyone looked on excitedly.

"Students, please continue toward the castle!" Drax loudly commanded the crowd, and the students exchanged nervous whispers, all extremely curious to know who was coming to the castle. You swapped a glance with Gamora before following the crowd.

//-//

Already seated at the Hufflepuff table, you startled slightly when Mantis touched your hand.

"Calm down, you're making it snow." She asked gently. You shook your head, realizing the cloud you had accidentally conjured up above you. You had been so nervous the last few minutes, which only got worse when your gaze failed to find Wanda at the Slytherin table, and to no avail was the look of reassurance Gamora threw at you when she said she would ask her colleagues about her over dinner. As soon as you sat down at the Hufflepuff table, you played with your wand between your fingers, and before you knew it, it was snowing.

"Sorry about that." You mumble clumsily, putting your wand back away. Mantis is not angry, her look is one of concern.

"I'm sure everything is fine with Wanda." Mantis says to you, and you sigh, running your hand through your hair.

"I think so too." You say. "I just don't know why I can't stop thinking about it."

"Y/N..."

You lost your attention completely on Mantis as your gaze reached the door of the hall just as you noticed the figures entering. Wanda and Pietro, walking hurriedly to the Slytherin table, being two of the last students to enter the hall before the door closed. You made mention of getting up, but Mantis held you by the shoulders. 

You were about to complain, but she pointed in the direction of the teachers' table, and you rolled your eyes, because the welcoming speech was about to begin. Your gaze remained on Wanda, but she was looking straight ahead. The only good thing was that the feeling of worry in you diminished considerably now that you were seeing her.

"[...] and I am proud to tell you that a very special event will take place at Hogwarts this year: the Triwizard Tournament!"

You are startled slightly when Headmistress Harkness' words reach your ears at the same moment that the main hall explodes in hubbub. You lose sight of Wanda because people are moving excitedly, and Mantis is nudging you to look forward.

It is only now that you notice the large stone globet and the blue flame displayed in front of the bench. You blink in surprise, feeling your face flush because you spent all the minutes of the speech staring at Wanda without realizing it.

Then the principal speaks again.

"Of course, the ministry has determined rules for the safety of the students." She recounts. "No student under the age of seventeen will be allowed to participate in the tournament, in addition to the dueling rules..."

The principal's speech was drowned out by the chorus of protests from the younger students, especially those in the fifth and sixth grades. You raised your eyebrow slightly, because you noticed that your brother was one of the boys who was shouting in annoyance. 

Agatha then made a stern expression, clearly annoyed at having been interrupted, and it took only a few moments for the hall to become completely silent, and for her to smile again.

"Note that the other participating schools will be staying with us this year." She continues her speech. "Please welcome the students from Durmstrang Institute."

The doors to the main hall opened again, and a small crowd of students wearing thick winter coats entered. A tall, shabby-looking man with a scar over his right eye was at the front, guiding the students.

"Agatha!" Greeted the man with open arms as he reached the headmistress. Agatha smiled as she hugged him, and you tried to get a look at the new folks, as did the rest of the school, who were looking excitedly at the crowd. You let out a surprised exclamation when you recognized one of the faces. Your classmates also seemed to realize who it was, because many whistles and comments were heard. 

"That's Jean Grey, isn't it?" Peter Parker asked sitting next to you. When you confirmed it, he widened his eyes. "Wow, I didn't know she was still in school."

"She's the youngest catcher of the century, Parker." You commented with a smile. 

"She's very pretty, isn't she?" He retorted, and you made a noise of agreement.

The students reached the front of the hall next.

"It's good to have you here, Yondu." Said the headmistress. "How was the trip?"

"Wet and noisy, woman!" Rebutted the man humorously. He didn't seem too excited to greet any other teachers, focused only on the woman in front of him. Agatha looked at the students next.

"Please feel free to join any of the empty seats, all the houses were honored to accommodate you." She warned the students, but they only moved after Yondu waved lightly at them.

You bit the inside of your cheek, noting that almost everyone sat down at the Slytherin table. Yondu joined the students next, not failing to take a good look at the goblet before sitting down.

Agatha looked down the hall again.

"Let us also welcome our honored guests from Beauxbatons."

The students at Beauxbatons' institute seemed nicer the first moment you saw them, but as soon as you noticed the way their cloaks were bewitched to land gracefully on the floor as they moved, you figured they must be the kind of people who wouldn't be happy with Hogwarts' cleaning schedule.

The principal of Beauxbatons was a tall, stout woman, very beautiful. She had a crown on her head, and you wondered if the people of Beauxbatons were royalty in some way. 

"Ovette, it is an honor to have you with us." She greeted Principal Agatha, but unlike before, her smile was cold, almost fake. The other woman didn't seem happy to be there either, but returned the greeting in the same formality.

The Beauxbatons students sat down at Gryffindor's table, and you giggled when Quill grimaced at you from his table as one of the boys sat down next to him.

Suddenly you felt very hungry. And dinner didn't disappoint. 

"I think you'd better wait to talk to Wanda tomorrow," Mantis remarked next to you as soon as you finished eating. You frowned, looking at her.

"Why?"

"Professor Lehnsherr has been staring at the Slytherin table like he's going to cast a good behavior spell at them the entire dinner." She counters as she looks at the teachers' table. You look just in time to catch Erik with a stern look toward the students who were talking loudly on the end before he went back to eating his potato salad. 

"Maybe he just expects better behavior while we have guests here." You comments, glancing back to the Slytherin table. Wanda's gaze has not searched for yours all dinner, and you are starting to get annoyed by this.

"If you're going to risk it, I suggest you do it before curfew." Mantis quips as she looks down at her own lap. Groot is trying to steal her piece of chicken, and she smiles as she hands him a loaf of bread.

You look around. All the students are sitting at their respective house tables, and despite the loud buzz of conversation, no one is standing. You know that if you stood up, and walked to the other side of the room, everyone would look at you. Sighing in annoyance, you rest your face on your hand and your elbow on the table, giving up on talking to Wanda during dinner.

When dessert arrives, you become distracted.

//-//

Your best idea is to catch up with Wanda at the end of dinner, but you frown when she doesn't get up from the table along with the other students. The next moment, Professor Erik is joining her, and the crowd of Hufflepuff students pushing you out makes you lose sight of her.

You mumble softly to yourself when you have to go back to the dormitory, and Mantis gives you a short smile, equally annoyed by your nervousness.

//=//

You tried to sleep. Maybe at some point you did.

After you went back to the dorm with everyone else, put on your pajamas and turned off the lights, you think you fell asleep almost immediately. But there was no rest.

The minute you fell asleep, you were somewhere else, fully conscious.

It looked like a graveyard, and there was a lot of smog. You turned over, feeling breathless, and saw a red light, maybe it was a spell. The next moment you woke up, panting, opening your eyes and immediately sitting up in bed. Surprised at the amount of sweat on your shirt, you frowned.

The dormitory was completely dark, and everyone was sleeping around you. You felt thirsty, and as you tried to understand exactly what you had dreamed, you left the room.

The rest of the common room was also empty, and you sighed as an idea crossed your mind. Biting your lips, you shook your head. No, you were not going to sneak through the dormitory into the Slytherin hall, because that was absolutely against all the rules, and more importantly, it would be weird.

Ignoring the sudden urgency you felt to follow your idea, you forced yourself back to your dormitory, hoping that you would be able to sleep again.

//-//

The next day, you had no need to look for Wanda, because she found you first.

As soon as you left for breakfast, accompanied by Mantis, you gasped in surprise as you felt some jump on you just before the entrance to the main hall.

"I missed you." Wanda sighed as she wrapped her arms around your neck. Some students looked at you curiously, but you didn't mind, circling Wanda's waist to return the hug. 

"I missed you too." You retorted by hiding your face in her neck, feeling your whole body relax with the scent of her perfume.

But a sound of someone clearing their throat broke the moment, and Wanda turned away from you, her cheeks flushed.

"You saw each other last week." Pietro teased with a slight frown on his forehead. He didn't press the matter, however, greeting you afterwards.

You made your way to the Slytherin table, your newly awakened friends looking sleepy as they lazily enjoyed their breakfast.

After greeting everyone, you sat down next to Gamora, who was looking at the daily prophet.

"Not a word about what happened in the Quidditch world cup" She commented indignantly. The group shared the same reaction. "All the news is about the triwizard tournament being held at Hogwarts."

"Maybe they don't want to cause a panic." Quill then reasoned. You knew that he, as well as Mantis, only knew about what happened in the cup because of the letters you and Gamora sent. 

"It just seems like they are hiding the truth." Gamora retorts without taking her gaze off the paper. You glance at the figures moving around before turning your attention back to your coffee.

"Clearly corrupt wizarding ministry matters aside, is anyone here going to try to sign up for the tournament?" Quill asked next, causing you to frown as Nebula and Gamora gave a giggle.

"No one here is of age." You comment with confusion, but Quill gives a wry chuckle.

"You Hufflepuff people are adorable." He teases making you laugh. He stretches his arms out to Pietro and Monica's shoulders next as he is sitting between them. "My Gryffindor buddies have found the perfect solution to solve this problem."

You look at the three of them curiously. Gamora rolls her eyes, and turns her attention back to the cereal.

"Let me guess, aging potion?" Nebula then suggests, and Quill lets out an impressed exclamation.

"Look at you Nebula, who would have guessed?  I'll make a troublemaker out of you yet." He jokes, but Nebula just raises her middle finger at him, making the rest of the table laugh.

You are slightly distracted because Wanda asked you to pass the jelly to her and your fingers brushed against each other, and you had to keep it together, unaware because the sensation spread a tingle across your skin, so you are startled when Quill lets out an excited exclamation next.

"I just remembered!" He says. "I didn't complain enough about the cancellation of the Quidditch cup between the houses. I was sure Gryffindor would win this year."

Wanda lets out a wry chuckle, and Quill makes a mocking face at her, tossing a piece of bread in her direction. 

You like to see your friends like that, playing with each other. The next moment, Mantis asks how Quill intends to get past the goblet spells to put his name on it, and the boy spends the next few minutes arguing that the aging spell is enough to break the enchantment, and your friends seem happy to argue with him about it.

//-//

You're not sure how you're going to tell Wanda that you need to talk to her about the events of the vacations, and the cup, and well, your connection to her, so you ignore the suggestive look Gamora throws at you after coffee and decide to put it off for as long as you can.

Your classes seem to have gotten even harder and more boring, but you struggle. It's even trickier to pay attention when the whole school is excited about the triwizard tournament, and there' a lot of noise between and during the classes, after a while, the teachers give up on calming the moods.

Without Quidditch, you have free periods, and you use this time to spend with your friends, either playing witch chess or explosive snap, or even getting some practice with your broom.

The foreign students get more comfortable as time goes on. You would think that they would be sleeping in one of the dormitories, but they are staying on the ships and in the carriages that they have come on.

The only times you got a glimpse of Beauxbatons' carriages was on the way to the class on the Tract of Magical Creatures, and you weren't the only one trying to get a better look, but the guardian Drax was quick to scare off any curious people who got too close.

With three weeks of classes, the atmosphere at Hogwarts had changed a lot. You knew it was because the date for choosing champions was approaching, and everyone seemed to be holding their breath about it. 

Pietro and Quill actually proceeded with the idea of trying to fool the goblet with an aging potion. You and the girls joined them in the room where the magic object had been placed, and witnessed them try. And fail miserably. Wanda was worried that Pietro had been hurt when he was thrown across the room trying to get through the protective circle, but as soon as she saw his aged face, she laughed, and all the girls followed her.

Pietro and Quill were annoyed for three seconds before they began to laugh as well.

You fell silent the next moment, however, because Jean Grey entered the room accompanied by Headmaster Youndu, both of whom looked at you all reproachfully.

Jean placed a piece of parchment in the flame, and you all watched with some admiration as the goblet accepted her inscription.

The small admiring smile you had on your lip completely disappeared when Jean looked at Wanda on her way out, her gaze flashing in a way that made your stomach turn the wrong way.

When Pietro started talking about how amazing it was to have a famous player at school, you didn't feel excited about the idea anymore.

//-//

After your double period of potions on Thursday the last week of September, you could practically catch the anxious tension of your classmates in the air.

At dinner that night, the school champions would be chosen and even you, who were more concerned about the lack of news from home and the way Tony was clearly avoiding your presence, were curious to know who would be chosen.

The Goblet of Fire had been moved to the center of the main hall and you joined the Hufflepuff table with Mantis, noticing the warning look that Headmistress Okoye cast at anyone who was not behaving in the most chivalrous manner possible, but you didn't remark on it, noticing the wizards wearing formal attire at the teachers' table, probably being employees of the Ministry of Magic and reporters for the Daily Prophet.

A characteristic buzz was going on among the students, but the room fell silent as the students from the other schools entered the hall together with their principals.

When Headmistress Agatha began the selection ceremony, everyone seemed to hold their breath.

"[...] Tonight the goblet will choose the one who is worthy to represent their schools in the triwizard tournament. The ceremony of choice begins now." She gracefully presents, wand in hand. Agatha touches the tip of the goblet next, and the flame on the top changes to red briefly, expelling a piece of parchment through the air. Agatha catches the item between her fingers. "The champion of Durmstrang is Jean Grey."

The room erupts in applause and tears of celebration. You clap happily too, completely forgetting about that day in the hall. You knew that Jean had become quite popular among the Hogwarts gossips, especially since she is already a celebrity, so the reaction of your classmates was not a surprise to you.

You and the rest of the students watched as she accepted the parchment from Agatha before greeting the ministry wizards, and then walked into the small door behind the teachers' desk. As she left, everyone was silent again.

Principal Harkness repeated the wand movement on the goblet, and the flames turned blue again. She paused briefly before announcing the next champion.

"Beauxbatons' champion is Maria Hill!" 

You watch a very elegant girl get up from one of the front seats and walk in the same direction as Jean amidst the applause. The commotion is a little less than Grey's, but you know that it is only because Grey was famous.

A moment later it is the turn of the Hogwarts champion, and you are much more excited for this.

Agatha also seems more excited about this, a small smile escaping her lips before she repeats the wand movement.

When the parchment falls into her hands, she reads it aloud.

"The champion of Hogwarts..." She begins and her expression falls, her frown frowning. The brief suspense only makes everyone even more anxious. "Wanda Maximoff."

The crowd's reaction is remarkably different from the other champions; the hall explodes into a buzz of accusations of cheating, pointing out that Wanda was underage, and even snide remarks about a Slytherin representing the school, but you were barely listening. A wave of preoccupation takes over your body completely, and you look around the table for Wanda, but she is already standing up, her chin held high despite all the negative comments. She accepts the parchment Agatha hands her and heads in the same direction as the other champions. 

Harkness makes another movement with her wand and the flame from the goblet goes out. In the next second she is leaving the room, being escorted by the other directors and the ministry officials to the Hall of Champions. As soon as the door closes, the hall explodes in agitated hubbub, and many people stand up.

As the teachers call for calm, especially for the Gryffindor students who accuse the Slytherin of cheating, you and Mantis stand up and join your friends.

"I can't believe that just happened." Gamora comments as soon as you reach her, as impressed as she is concerned.

Your gaze searches for Pietro however, and he looks upset.

"Comrade, your sister is the champion of Hogwarts! She managed to do what we were trying to! Why the long face?" Quill asked his friend excited and confused, but when he went to hug Pietro, he pulled away, an angry grimace on his face.

"I can't believe Wanda kept this from me." He grumbled, you and your friends looked at him in surprise. 

"Come on Pietro, maybe she didn't think it would work and didn't want to say anything." Quill suggested but the boy shook his head.

"No you don't get it." He retorts. "She absolutely could not have risked doing something like that."

And then he turns away, and heads for the teachers' table. You and your friends are left with puzzled expressions, but upon noticing that he looked like he was going to be talking to his father for quite some time, you return to your conversation.

"I can't believe Wanda didn't tell anyone about putting in the name on the goblet, that's incredible." Quill adds. Nebula begins to argue how dangerous it was for someone without enough magical acquaintance to be in such an ordeal, and your stomach does a turn. You walk away from the conversation, heading toward the group of Tony's friends who were standing a few feet away from you.

"Hey, your friend just caused a stir around here." Tony jokes as soon as you reach him.

"I noticed it." You retort as you spot Professor Strange separating with a spell a student who jumped on top of another. "Everyone is talking about how dangerous it is for her to participate, can you tell me anything good about it?"

Tony laughs at the desperation in your voice. 

"I figure eternal glory and the thousand-gallon prize is the good part." He teases, and you run your hands through your hair, trying to ignore the urge to go into that little room and find out if Wanda is okay. Tony assumes a serious expression next, and lowers his tone, not that it was necessary, since everyone seems wrapped up in their own conversations. "You also find it strange that this happens after what happened at the cup, don't you?" He asks and you nod. Tony sighs. "Maybe this is a good time for you to talk to Wanda, little sis. About how you feel about her. And well, maybe as you help her practice for the tournament, you guys can figure out what that connection means."

You nod, feeling your cheeks warm. It was still strange how all your friends knew about the way you cared for Wanda.

You wanted to ask Tony if he had found out anything since you last talked properly, but Professor Strange ordered everyone back to their dormitories the next moment, and after Tony messed up your hair, you turned and headed toward the Hufflepuff students who were leaving the hall.

//-//

There was no way you could sleep without talking to Wanda, so you risked an detention by sneaking out of the dorm after curfew. Mantis grumbled at you to be careful before turning over in her sleepy state, making you laugh softly.

You used a simple invisibility spell on yourself, not so strong that you were completely invisible, but enough to blend into the shadows of the castle as you descended back into the dungeons. Hogwarts was, yes, very scary at that time.

The board at the entrance was sleeping, and after removing the invisibility spell, you poked it with your wand to wake it up.

"What, what is that?" Complained the irritated painting, looking around and acquiring an angry expression when he noticed you.

"I'm sorry. Keep your voice down please." You asked. "I need to get inside."

The painting looked at you suspiciously.

"I have seen you here before, but you are not from the honorable house of Slytherin."

"That is not your problem, Mr. Talos." You retort impatiently. "Just let me in. The password is Polyjuice Potion."

"Your friends will get in trouble if they keep sharing their password with you." Warned the painting before moving, giving you passage to enter.

"Thank you, Mr.Talos." You said with slight irony, walking into the dormitory.

You bit the inside of your cheek as you looked around at the empty environment. You were used to the place, but it was still creepy when poorly lit like this.

"We don't like intruders." Spoke a voice in the corner of the room, making you jump in fright.

"Damn, Nat, you scared the hell out of me." You complained, putting your hand to your chest and feeling your heart racing. The girl giggled, closing the book in her hand and standing up in your direction.

"Why are you here?" she asked with her arms crossed.

You gave her a lopsided smile.

"I came to check on Wanda, of course."

Nat narrowed her eyes at you.

"Why?"

"Why?" you retort after a short laugh. "Because she has just been chosen for the deadliest competition in the wizarding world, and everyone in this place wants to remind me of it!" You exclaim, and can't stop yourself. "I heard a girl say in the hallway that the tournament was banned for the number of deaths! Did you know that? Yeah, neither did I. And well, I can't sleep, because I keep thinking that something like that might happen to Wanda. And when I think about it, I can't breathe and I..."

"Stark, breathe!" Natasha interrupts you with concern, placing her hands on your shoulders. You gasp slightly, realizing that your eyes are filled with tears as you notice your vision blurring. You sigh, trying to normalize your breathing as you force a smile and wipe your face. "God, what was that all about?"

"It was nothing." You grumble. "I'm just worried."

Natasha doesn't buy your excuse, though.

"Tony told me about what happened in the cup." She says as she lowers her arms. You look at her in surprise. "He also told me about how connected to Wanda you have been feeling. I just didn't imagine that you would almost have a little tantrum at the possibility of her getting hurt."

You feel your cheeks flush, looking away to your shoes.

"I didn't have a tantrum."

"Nearly." She teases, but you don't laugh, feeling your stomach churn. Nat looks at you seriously next. "Wanda's not here."

You raise your head in surprise.

"What? Why?"

"I don't know." She replies. "Believe me, you weren't the only one who tried to talk to her. The whole dorm was wanting to know how she tricked the goblet, but no one has seen her since the selection."

You feel your heart soar, and seeing the way you react, Nat raises a hand to your arm again.

"Hey, try not to think about it so much." She says. "Maybe she's with her father. I imagine it's been quite a commotion that a minor has swindled the goblet, and the ministry must be trying to decide what to do. She must be in the teachers' dormitory, she is still a child after all."

"Wanda is already fifteen." You grumble.

"Yes, and I'm sixteen. We're all kids, Y/N." She retorts. "I don't think Professor Lehnsherr was going to leave his daughter alone at such a time."

You sigh, nodding in agreement.

"Try to get some sleep, will you?" Nat asks next. "I'm sure Wanda will talk to you tomorrow. And well, I think she's going to need her best friend to not sleep through the conversation."

"Wanda said I'm her best friend?" 

Nat laughs at the way you talk, probably sounding like a lovesick puppy. 

"God, you two are a disaster." She comments before waving you toward the exit. You bid her goodnight and thank her before walking back to your dorm.

//-//

[troquantary]

Twilight Reread, Part One: Guys, It’s Literally Just Chapter One, I’m Fucked

I’ve officially started, as in it’s been a single chapter and I already have too many thoughts. I’m not going to do this kind of detailed mind dump for every chapter, but the early ones obviously establish a lot of things about Bella, and reevaluating her character is the whole point of this exercise for me. Chapter One in particular is a fucking gold mine, so this is a good place to pause and take stock.

Actually, it turned out to be such a gold mine that I’m splitting this up -- in this post, I wrote about Bella and Charlie’s relationship and discuss the defensive attitude Bella has about him and Forks at the start. I’m going to save my thoughts on Bella’s bizarre, almost pathological pessimism and her disinterest in human connection in a separate one. (All I’ll say now is that, by the end of this chapter, I was deeply confused as to what Bella expected/wanted from her peers, because her behavior and narration were all over the damn place.)

...I need to start giving myself a word limit. Too much mental energy expended below the cut~

1. Bella and Charlie (and Forks)

Okay, first of all, goddamn. I seriously misremembered how hard Bella comes down on Forks and, by extension, Charlie. As someone with, uh, very bitterly divorced parents, I’ve got to say her attitude has Renee’s fingerprints all over it; Renee hated Forks, and she’s clearly instilled the same distaste for the place -- and for her father, who remains there -- in Bella. I’m not necessarily saying that Renee did this maliciously, but it paints a sadly familiar picture of one divorced parent poisoning their child against the other.

Just look at Bella’s description of her parents’ divorce, which is incredibly biased in Renee’s favor. Out-of-universe, Meyer’s provided some context for the split. Taking it at face value, it looks like a shitty situation all around, but Charlie doesn’t appear to have done anything wrong. Bella, however, describes it like this: “It was from this town and its gloomy, omnipresent shade that that my mother escaped with me when I was only a few months old. It was in this town that I’d been compelled to spend a month every summer until I was fourteen.”

She says this like Forks is a prison and Charlie was Renee’s jailer or something, rather than a young man struggling to maintain his marriage to his increasingly unhappy wife, provide for her and his daughter, and take care of his dying parents. Now, to be fair, Bella’s directing her vitriol toward the town in this section, not Charlie directly. Reading between the lines, though, it seems fairly clear that the two are linked in Bella’s mind -- she never mentions being glad to visit Charlie, and in fact when she “put her foot down” about the arrangement at age fourteen, the result was cutting that already scant time in half. She’s seen her dad for a total of six weeks over the last three years, and she mentions no desire to know him better or grow closer.

Obviously, Bella does warm up to Charlie later, but her expectations going in are extremely low. And yeah, I’m blaming this on Renee, too. Bella has always felt like a burden on her mother; Renee can’t even offer to be there for Bella if she needs to come home without a sense of “sacrifice.” Bella’s pretty clearly expecting Charlie to see her the same way, and therefore her attitude, while not charitable, seems to be mostly self-protective; she’s bracing herself for rejection. She’s actually surprised that her own father has “really been fairly nice” and “seem[s] genuinely pleased” that she’s coming to live with him permanently. Which...woof.

For his part, Charlie’s behavior in this chapter really indicates that he wants to connect with Bella, and for her to enjoy her time with him. It’s honestly kind of heartbreaking. For all that Bella essentially sees him as a stranger, he’s more familiar with her -- he catches her “automatically” when she trips, hugs her, and calls her “Bells.” I think if Charlie were truly as disconnected from Bella as Bella sees him, this scene would go differently (Bella trips, but Charlie’s surprised by it and doesn’t catch her, and has to help her up out of a puddle. Or he calls her “Izzy” or some nickname she hates.) As it is, although Bella doesn’t see it, we have ample hints that they’re going to click.

That’s not to say they’re in sync immediately, though -- Bella chafes when she thinks Charlie’s talking down to her in the car.

2. Shut Up, You’re Not My Real Dad! (unironically kind of a banger?)

The conversation about the truck quickly becomes a kind of power struggle. Bella’s dynamic with Renee, the reversed parent/child roles, is well established by this point in her life (which, as a side note, made it surprising to me that Bella refers to Renee as “my mom” or “my mother” throughout this first chapter even in her narration -- I expected the first-name treatment for both parents).

Renee’s all too happy to let Bella manage everything and be the adult. Charlie, though, sees Bella as his kid and knows she wants her own car, so he’s found and bought one for her. His intentions are great, and very generous -- but Bella, who’s already planned to buy the car herself, feels patronized and bristles. She’s immediately “suspicious” and starts grilling him about the make and age of the truck, and she’s offended when he tries to sidestep her questions: “I hoped he didn’t think so little of me as to believe I’d give up that easily.”

I don’t think it’s wrong or ungrateful of her to feel and react this way -- this is just a pretty natural point of disconnect between her and Charlie, and it makes a lot of sense for Bella as a character. She’s used to being in control of household and financial matters, and from her perspective, it looks like Charlie’s butting in with no consideration for her knowledge, budget, or requirements. Of course she’s resistant.

She softens, though, when Charlie reveals he’s bought it for her -- surprised out of her defensiveness, she now has to grapple with the unfamiliar feeling of being provided for, and welcomed, when she was expecting to fend for herself as usual. And then it turns out she loves the truck, so this ends up being a big win for Charlie -- although not so big that Bella drops her emotional guard.

Beyond the first chapter, Bella continues to try to establish her “adulthood” by instantly claiming the household as her domain. On her second day in town, she takes stock of Charlie’s fridge and pantry, then helps herself to the petty cash and hits the grocery store. There’s no indication that she’s discussed this with Charlie -- she’s just decided that food is her job now like it was in Phoenix. [Edit: I was wrong about this -- she does talk to Charlie and ask to take over food-related stuff in Chapter 2. My bad, sorry Bella.] She takes over cooking, too, although Charlie hasn’t asked and doesn’t appear to expect her to do that. I’ve seen some posts criticizing Charlie for not cooking himself or whatever, but I’d argue that this is something Bella would insist on doing -- she’d probably also be offended that he doubts her capability, because this is an area where she feels very confident. She’d point out that she’s not some kid with no idea how to run the washing machine, and that she handled all this and more at Renee’s just fine, thank you.

I figure that Charlie, in the same manner that he didn’t stop Renee from leaving, doesn’t stop Bella from any of this because he wants her to be happy. Sure, it’s kind of weird for a teenager to want to do chores, but if it makes Bella feel more comfortable, or more like this is her home...of course he’s not going to interfere. Maybe this is too passive on his part, but they’re still figuring each other out.

I think this continuing point of tension -- Charlie trying to be a parent to Bella, and Bella resisting it because it feels belittling to be shoved back into the “child” box after she’s already shouldered so much responsibility for Renee -- will be very important to understanding some of Bella’s actions later on. Considering the level of dislike I had for Bella before going into this, I’ve got to harp on these points for my own sake, to keep myself honest and less reactive.

---

And that’s it for this installment. I have no planned structure for this, by the way (shocker), so I’ll probably just write about whatever catches my attention with respect to Bella’s character. I’m just trying to look at what’s actually on the page and incorporate out-of-universe information as sparingly as possible. Since the series is written from a first-person perspective and these are supposed to be Bella’s actual thoughts, I’m going to be picking apart her choice of words quite a bit -- just based on the first chapter alone, those choices are often very telling.