#i love that normally David is the one with the shy sweet smile and blushing

[ingravinoveritas]

Video of Michael listening to David's eulogy on the WTAWTAW podcast. The way he is blushing and laughing with his whole body is everything...

[marlena-immortale]

New Experiences: Part 1

Summary: Damiano wants to explore a new kink and is nervous to bring it up with you, but you ease his nerves. 

CW: SMUT, masturbation, anal play, choking, d/s dynamic (dom reader), dirty talk, discussion of pegging 

Word Count: 2.3k

Damiano David is a confident man. Anyone that’s met him can see it. He knows he’s hot and he doesn’t care what other people think of him, except for you. He holds your opinion very highly and definitely cares what you think about him. So when he discovers something new about himself that he wants to try out, he is very hesitant to bring it up to you. He knows that you’d never judge him and you’d probably even be into it, but his nervousness seems to still be weighing on him. 

A few weeks ago, Damiano was scrolling through Instagram when he found a post of a man dressed in panties, arching his back and bent over, with a woman’s hand on his back pushing him down. He could feel his cheeks heat up and couldn’t help but screenshot the picture (for research purposes only of course). He didn’t know why it had such an effect on him but he decided to file that away to deal with at another time. 

-------

Days later, you were out with your friends and Damiano had the whole house to himself. He lays down on your shared bed, cuddled up in the freshly-washed sheets. He opens his phone and finds the picture his mind just won’t let go of. Without realizing it, his other hand drifts down his own body, pretending it’s the girl’s in the picture, or better yet, your hand. He imagines your breath in his ear as you push him down into the mattress. His hand tucks inside his underwear and starts playing with his half-hard dick. 

He lets out a frustrated moan as he imagines your hips pressing into his ass. He puts his phone down, his imagination more than enough now, and brings his other hand down the back of his underwear, reaching in as he shifts to lean more on his side. His finger makes its way down further and he presses it lightly to his hole. He gasps at the new sensation but it turns into a moan once he decides that he really likes the feeling. He lets himself experiment a bit and starts rubbing little circles against his rim. His mind clouds with thoughts of you telling him what a good boy he’s being, moaning so loud and making such pretty noises while he explores himself. He can feel this new sensation all over his body and instantly knows that this will be a staple in his self-pleasure routine from now on. 

His other hand quickens its pace on his cock as he reaches his climax much quicker than expected. He can feel his hole contract on the very tip of his finger as he cums all over himself, his body shaking with pleasure. He sits there for a moment, processing what he just did and how good it felt, realizing that he definitely has to work up the courage to bring it up with you now. 

-------

The next day, he wakes up to an empty bed and the smell of coffee and carries himself to the kitchen to find you making espresso. You turn around to see your lovely boyfriend clad only in his snug underwear and open oversized flannel falling off his toned shoulders. A smile spreads across your face at the sight, pouring two cups of coffee. You can tell that he seems a little nervous for some reason by his hesitancy to walk closer to you like he normally would. He stays rooted by the doorway, shifting his weight from one foot, to the other, to the doorframe, and back. 

“Everything ok baby?” you ask while setting cups down on the table in front of him and pulling out the two chairs and sitting down. Damiano follows your lead and sits across from you, taking a sip from his coffee. 

“Yeah, everything’s fine…. I just have something I wanna talk to you about,” he confesses, his eyes casting down at his cup held tightly in his hands. 

You try not to get nervous yourself at his hesitancy to tell you. “Okay, what is it? You can tell me anything,” you respond, reaching to take one of his hands in your own, stroking his thumb. The gesture calms him down a bit and he takes a deep breath before replying.

“There’s something new I want to try…. like, in the bedroom,” he says, attempting to maintain eye contact the whole time. You instantly relax, a small smile now on your face, knowing it’s not anything serious and that you’d be happy to try anything he’s interested in.

“I’ve been thinking that maybe we could try…. pegging?” he says, surprised at his own hesitancy to admit his secret to you. You’re not sure why he was so nervous, it’s not like you haven’t casually brought it up before or joked around about it. In fact, you’re more than willing to try it out with him and already have some fun ideas swirling around in your head about how this could go. 

“Is that all? I’d love to fuck you darling,” you offer with a smile, threading your fingers through his own now sweaty ones. His face fills with relief and he lets go of some of the tension in his shoulders. “How about we go to my favorite sex shop and pick something out together?” you offer. 

“That sounds good. You’re really into this right? You’re not just doing this for me?” 

“Oh trust me, I am most definitely into this,” you say as you stand up and stalk over to his side of the table, climbing onto his lap, running your hands over his chest. “I can’t wait to have you trembling beneath me, my cock deep inside of you,” you whisper into his ear. You hear a soft whimper come from his mouth.  

Your words ease his worries, and also makes his heart beat a little faster and breath get a little heavier. You take his jaw into your hand and guide him to look up at you as you continue, “I’ll take it slow though baby, don’t worry. I’ll have you all stretched out and ready for me. You’ll be making such pretty noises for me, I promise it’ll feel so good”. You can see his eyes dilate and feel him getting a little excited when you shift your hips in his lap. Your hand travels lower to wrap lightly around his neck and his head tilts up, allowing you more access to feel his blood pumping under his skin. “How’s that sound baby boy? Do you like the sound of that?” 

He nods dumbly and you let him try again. “Words sweetheart,” you urge. 

“Yes, yes that sounds… really nice”.

“Yeah? Good. Why don’t you use that pretty voice to tell me exactly what you want” you whisper. It’s so easy for you to have him blushing and whimpering like putty in your hands. You just barely tighten your fingers around his throat and listen to his breath hitch and a pathetic noise leave his mouth, surprising even him. 

“I want you…” he trails off. 

“Aww, did my baby get all shy?” you coo at him. 

“I um, I want you to… I want you to shove your fingers inside me and thrust so deep I can feel you everywhere. I bet you’d just love to see me all helpless and fucked out,” he says, his bratty energy coming out in full force. His eyes are dark and lidded as he looks at you with a smirk. You raise an eyebrow, a smirk appears on your own face, seeing how he wants to play this game now. 

“You’re right baby, I would love that, to have you writhing and desperate, grinding your hips down onto me,” you say with a tight grip on his throat and the other hand slipping down to his inner thigh for emphasis. A broken whine escapes his pretty lips and you feel his erection growing against your ass. 

“But I guess you’ll just have to wait for now,” you say with a cocky smile, and swiftly lift yourself off of him with a quick kiss to his cheek, leaving him turned on and missing the feeling of you on his lap. 

-------

   The next day, you’re on your way to the sex shop, Damiano practically hanging off of you as you walk to the entrance, a lazy smile plastered across both of your faces. When you get to the shop, you immediately guide him to the section in the front where you know the strap-on harnesses are. His cheeks heat up, imagining you wearing it, and his head instantly goes to burrow into the space between your neck and shoulder. You run your fingers through his hair, stroking his scalp soothingly and when you see that it’s just an embarrassed smile on his face and not anything bad, you pick out a nice leather harness and lead him to the dildo section. 

You can tell that he’s getting all shy and a little subby so you decide to play with him a bit. “Why don’t you pick out one you like, sweetheart?” you ask him, your fingers tilting his chin up and to the wall of dildos in front of you. He looks around, flustered and slightly overwhelmed by all the decisions. He’s still attached to your side, acting less bratty than usual, being too out of his element to attempt to annoy you. This sweeter side of him is just about the cutest thing you’ve ever seen and you plan to see just how sweet you can make him. 

“I want you to pick it out for me,” he whispers, still a little ashamed even though there’s no one nearby. 

“Are you sure baby?” you ask, honored that he trusts you to make the best decision for him. 

“Yes,” he says, nodding while pawing at your waist like a little puppy wanting all of your attention. You melt seeing him be so cute and submissive for you. 

You look to the wall of dildos and find the perfect one; a pretty pastel pink one that’s as close as you can find to Damiano’s actual size, “so you can get a taste of your own medicine,” you say with a wink, placing it in your basket. 

His blush deepens pinker than the dildo realizing that he’s intimidated by his own length. You guide him further into the store, the both of you still with stupid smiles across your face, so enamored and in love with each other. You find the lingerie section and pick out a pretty white lacy set for him, knowing he loves the feeling of lace against his skin and knowing just how sexy  he’ll look in it.

You pick up a few more supplies you’ll need for the big night and check out at the counter before walking back to the car. As soon as you put the bag in the backseat and get situated in your seat, you look over at your beautiful boyfriend and sub to find him looking more embarrassed than he has been all day which was strange considering you’re alone now and not staring at a wall of dildos. 

You look down to see the cause of Damiano’s embarrassment; the growing bulge in his pants. You smile, knowing how shy he gets about getting hard so easily. 

“Aw, my poor sensitive puppy, always so easily turned on,” you say, leaning in close, your breath on his neck and your fingers brushing gently across his clothed erection, teasing him. As soon as he whimpers and starts to buck up into your hand, you sit back up and start the car. 

“Nooo, please touch me,” he whines when you start pulling out of the parking lot. 

You laugh and respond, “Well if you behave like a good boy, I’ll give you a nice reward when we get home”. He pouts but doesn’t say anything else. “Are you gonna be a good boy for me?”

“Yes, I promise,” Damiano desperately responds, needing some sort of release. 

“Okay then, I want you to unzip your pants, pull your cock out, and make yourself cum,” you instruct him, keeping your eyes on the road ahead of you. His hands immediately fumble at his zipper, trying to get it down as quickly as possible. He pulls his pants and underwear down just far enough to pull himself out of them and immediately begins softly stroking. You can feel yourself getting turned on hearing his noises beside you as you navigate your car along the highway. He gasps as his thumb rubs across his tip, his head thrown back and hips moving of their own accord.    

“C’mon baby, I know you can do better than that,” you encourage him condescendingly. 

“Please, I need your hand,” Damiano begs you as he desperately strokes himself, staring at your hands clutching the steering wheel. 

“Aw honey, I know you can do it yourself. You’re being such a good boy for me,” you say. Your words bring him closer to his climax as his hand speeds up on his cock. The car fills with the beautiful sounds of Damiano’s moans and gasps and quiet whimpers of your name that barely are able to make it past his lips. He only needs a few more strokes until he’s loudly moaning and spilling all over his own hand and shirt. 

“This is gonna be fun,” you say, a big smile on your face as Damiano catches his breath, recovering from his orgasm.

[musette22]

Local museum volunteer Chris explaining all the items and history facts to teacher Sebastian and his 20 kids on a school trip or to single dad Sebastian and his twins (one who is really into it and ask a lot of "but why?" And the other one who just sticks his fingers up his nose and yawns lmao)

Okay so I was just on a walk and I started thinking about this ask again (I am so so so sorry for how long it took me to reply to this, I suck wow) because I couldn’t get that new pic of Seb looking like a literal DILF out of my head, but I couldn’t remember the specifics so what came out is slightly different from what you suggested but not much – hope you still like it (I personally screamed into my fist multiples times while thinking about this – I’m furious at how cute this little scenario is, thank you so so much for this!)

Disclaimer: I literally wrote this just now so it’s unbeta’d and probably riddled with nonsense, but I hope you guys like nonetheless!  <3

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

“Hi, guys! Welcome to the Concord Museum. My name is Chris and I’ll be your guide this afternoon.”

Chris eyes the little family – a father and two young kids – standing in front of him in the entrance hall of the bite-sized museum, then makes a show of looking around the otherwise empty hall. “Seems like it’s a quiet one today, so you’ll have me all to yourself!”

The father smiles, his sparkling, blue-grey eyes crinkling in the corners in a way that Chris shouldn’t be thinking of as ‘adorable’, but does nonetheless.

“Fantastic,” the man says warmly. “It’s nice to meet you, Chris. This is Margot,” – he gestures to the girl of about eight standing next to him – “and this little guy here is David,” he adds, lightly bouncing the three or four-year-old, curly haired boy on his hip. David gives Chris a wide eyed look before promptly burying his face in his father’s neck. “He’s a little shy,” the dad says fondly.

“That’s fine,” Chris tells them. With a smile, he ducks his head to try and catch David’s eye. “You’re not the only one, kiddo. I’m a little shy myself sometimes, you know.”  

���I’m not shy,” Margot pipes up.

“No,” her dad agrees with a chuckle, “you certainly are not.”

Chris turns his eyes back to their father’s face. “And your name..?”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” the man says, “I’m Sebastian.” He holds out his hand for Chris to shake, warm and dry with long, elegant fingers that fit nicely against Chris’s own, studier ones.

Sebastian, Chris thinks. Perfect name for a perfect guy. The term ‘DILF’ flashes unbidden through Chris’s mind – wildly inappropriate, given the circumstances, but oh so accurate. Sebastian has a sweet, charming smile, incredible bone structure, and dark, wavy hair, swept up in a quiff-like style that manages to make him look both sophisticated and a little boyish at the same time. There’s a hint of grey at his temples as well as in his beard that has Chris placing him at maybe two or three years older than himself.

“New York?” Chris guesses, as he reluctantly lets go of Sebastian’s hand.

“That’s right,” Sebastian nods. “Well, formerly, anyway. We just moved to the area, actually.”

“Oh, really? What brought you all the way out here?”

Sebastian runs a hand through his hair; a nervous habit, perhaps. “Oh, um. My ex-wife got a job in Boston last year, and I didn’t want to be too far from her and the kids, so I decided to follow suit. Only moved down here last month. This is my first full weekend with these guys at my new place, so I thought I’d take them out to do something cultural, learn a little about the local history, y’know?”

“Well, we’ve got plenty of that here,” Chris assures him. “In fact,” he adds sheepishly, “that’s kinda all we've got.”

Sebastian laughs, causing Chris’s brain to glitch, which is probably why the next thing that comes out of his mouth is – “Divorce, huh? I’m sorry, that must’ve been tough.”

When Sebastian doesn’t answer straight away, Chris wants to kick himself for running his big, stupid mouth. As usual. “I’m sorry,” he apologizes hastily. “That’s none of my business. Just tryin’ to make small talk, but I always seem to forget I’m really bad at that. Just forget I said anything.”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Sebastian assures him, flashing Chris a quick smile. “Thank you. These things are never easy, but it’s better this way, you know?”

“They’re not fighting or anything,” Margot chimes in again, from a few feet below. “Mommy and daddy only got divorced because mommy’s a girl and daddy likes boys better than girls. Right, daddy?"

Well. Chris tries not to be too obvious about glancing at Sebastian’s face to see his reaction to that bombshell his daughter just dropped, but he’s not sure how well he manages.

Sebastian closes his eyes for a moment as if praying for strength. “That's right, sweetheart,” he says with a grimace. “But I'm sure Chris doesn't need to hear about all that."

Chris begs to differ – he’s actually extremely interested in hearing about all this, but before he has a chance to say anything in reply, Margot squares her jaw and crosses her football jersey-clad arms.

“Why not?” she asks defiantly. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Some girls just like girls and some boys like boys, it’s totally normal. It’s not prola- probu –" She sighs in frustration, looking up at her dad, who’s watching her with something like pride on his handsome face.

“Problematic?”

“Yeah,” Margot concurs, “not probametic.”  

Chris hums in agreement. “It’s not, you’re absolutely right. I’ll tell you what,” he tells her conspiratorially, “I happen to like boys better, too.”

Margot’s eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “You do?”

“I do.”

Suddenly, Margot’s little face lights up, her shrewd eyes flitting to her dad’s face for a second, then back to Chris. “Do you like my dad?”

“Margot,” Sebastian cuts in, a hint of exasperation in his tone. “That’s enough, honey.” When he tuns back to Chris to give him an apologetic look, Chris can’t help but notice the slight blush coloring his cheeks. “I’m sorry about that. She’s gotten it into her head that she needs to find me the perfect man ASAP, or I’ll waste away or something.”

Chris laughs, throwing back his head in genuine mirth. “Don’t worry about it. It’s fine,” he assures them, then claps his hands together to change the precarious subject. “So, who’s ready to learn a little bit about what living in Concord was like over a hundred years ago?”

******

Chris always enjoys volunteering at the museum – it’s nice to give something back to the community that’s been his home for his entire life, and to chat to visitors from all over who have come to visit the land of Little Women, among other things – but what Chris likes best is when he gets to show kids around the place. Some of them need to be won over (after all, a dusty old museum isn’t quite as exciting as a trip to Disney World), but others are instantly captivated by the strange objects and old-timey atmosphere – Sebastian’s kids, fortunately, seem to fall in the latter category.

There’s one room in particular that’s an invariably a favorite with kids – the one that houses the old children’s toys. Trains, dolls and dollhouses, most of them made from wood, all arranged in a colorful parade, with a few screens set up in front of the glass display cases on which kids can watch animations of the toys being used. To Chris’s delight, Margot and David are both immediately taken with the display, David pressing his nose against the glass while Margot fires off question after question that Chris answers patiently and to the best of his ability.

“You sure know a lot about them,” Sebastian remarks, not without a hint of admiration, once Chris has finished explaining the mechanics of the miniature train set.

“Ah.” Chris rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, I guess you could say I’m something of a toy enthusiast myself. I’ve actually got a carpentry workshop – that’s my real job,” he explains. “I’m just a volunteer here – and I dabble in some toy making sometimes, too.”

Sebastian’s eyes widen. “You’re kidding. I used to want to be a toy maker when I was a kid, you know,” he says wistfully. “Probably just saw Pinocchio one too many times, but it just seemed like the best job in the world to me, at the time.”

“It kinda is,” Chris grins at Sebastian, getting lost in his dancing grey eyes for a moment. “So what did you end up doing for a living, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I’m a journalist. I love it, don’t get me wrong. It’s enriching, challenging. But there’s just something about working with your hands, creating something tangible, something useful…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean,” Chris nods. He bites his lip, hesitating for just a moment before deciding to bite the bullet. “Hey, I don’t know if you guys have plans after this, but my shift ends in a few minutes. I live pretty close, maybe a ten minute drive – if you want, I could show you my workshop? Maybe the kids can try out some of the things I’ve been working on, see if they’re actually any fun to play with?”

There’s an excited collective gasp from the kids, both of them immediately turning big, hopeful eyes on their father. “Oh, daddy,” Margot pleads, tugging on his sleeve. “Can we go see the workshop, pleaaase?”  

Chris tries to ignore the way his stomach drops when Sebastian visibly hesitates.

“I don’t know, guys.” Sebastian looks back at Chris. “I don't want to intrude. It’s almost dinner time on a Saturday. I’m sure you’ve got plans, maybe with your partner..?”

Oh, Chris thinks, chest expanding with hope. He shakes his head. “No partner,” he says, holding Sebastian’s gaze. “Just a dog.”

“A dog?” Margot squeals. “Oh my god, daddy, he’s got a dog. We have to go.”

Sebastian chuckles, rolling his eyes. "They've been hounding me about a dog for months, excuse the pun. I want one too, but I'm just not sure I'm home enough.”

Chris nods sympathetically. “Yeah, it can be tricky if you work full-time, but there’s usually a solution for this kind of thing, in my experience.”

“What’s your dog’s name?” Margot interrupts, bouncing excitedly on the balls of her feet.

“He’s called Dodger,” Chris tells her, unable to keep the pride out of his voice as he talks about his beloved, four legged-rescue.

From Sebastian’s other side, a small voice suddenly joins in. “Like the one from Oliver?” asks David. His big, brown eyes are wide as he stares up at Chris.

“That’s right,” Chris confirms, dropping to his haunches to level the playing field a little. “Exactly like the one from Oliver. You like that movie, huh?”

David nods, looping one arm around one of his dad’s long legs while clearly fighting the urge to hide behind him completely. “It’s my favorite,” he mutters, then quickly sticks his thumb in his mouth to signal the end of the conversation.

“Really?” Chris asks, beaming at him. “It’s my favorite, too!”

David actually smiles at that, doing an excited little wiggle on the spot. “Daddy, can we go see Dodger, please?” he asks his dad, not bothering to remove his thumb from his mouth.

From his spot on the floor, Chris looks up Sebastian too, probably looking just as hopeful as the kids are – maybe even more so.

Smiling, Sebastian shakes his head. “Sure, buddy,” he laughs, ruffling David’s hair. “How could I resist all these cute little faces, huh?”

There’s a chorus of cheers from the kids that gives Chris a much-needed moment to recover from the euphoria of hearing Sebastian call him cute. Well, sort of.

“Alright,” Chris says, getting to his feet again. “I’ll just go grab my things. Meet you guys in the parking lot?”

“Sounds good.”

Chris nods and is about to head in the direction of the staff room, when Sebastian halts him with a hand on his arm. Chris stops in his tracks, swallowing as he tears his gaze away from Sebastian’s elegant hand on his bicep, back to his face.

“Thank you,” Sebastian says, giving him a look from under his eyelashes that can only be described as coy. “I really appreciate this, you know.”

Holding Sebastian’s gaze, Chris lifts a hand to cover Sebastian’s with his own, giving it a quick squeeze. “It’s my pleasure,” he replies honestly. “Trust me.”

Smiling, Sebastian bites his lip, no doubt noticing the way Chris’s eyes flicker down to his mouth when he does. “I do.”

Chris’s foolishly romantic heart can’t help but skip a beat.

“See,” Margot says suddenly from beside them, breaking the moment and sounding awfully smug about it, too. “Not prolametic at all.”

Chris barks out a laugh while Sebastian covers his eyes with his hand. “Whatever you do, never have kids.”  

“Oh, I dunno,” Chris chuckles, giving Margot a wink and David’s hair a quick ruffle. “I kinda like yours.”

Sebastian clears his throat. “Alright, guys. Let’s go find your jackets and we’ll go see what Chris has in store for us, huh?”

[judediangelo75]

Claws To Wings

Welcome one and all~

I did say I was going to be working on the Talith lore, so here’s another installment of that. So I did some tweaking to the storyline that Jam City had. So the first Valentine’s Day happened in 4th year instead of 5th (because you can unlock I think both Valentine’s Day TLSQs in the same year and it didn’t make too much sense to me). 

Plus there are future true events that happen in 6th year, if you’re already familiar with the Without You/The Man Behind the Necklace series than you already know. During that time, Judith and Talbott are together and have been for quite some time. But before that, they have been pining after each other for years. 

In my first story, “The Scent of Love to the Heart of a Loner Poet”, Talbott is coming to realizing how deep his feelings were for Judith (whose been crushing on him since 3rd year). Between then and now, those feelings have grown and they’ve been dancing around each other. 

There’s gonna be some details here that are definitely gonna be new (because it’s part of a super old character reference I created for her when I first started posting about HPHM content here).

Anyway, enough rambling. On with the story! Enjoy! 💛

MC friend: David Willows ( @that-scouse-wizard )

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

Talbott stood before his mirror, readjusting his tie for probably the fifth time.

He was trying to soothe his nerves. Why you may ask?

Because of the Ball.

The Valentine’s Day Ball.

In his right mind, he would avoid such social gatherings like the plague. But it’s fair to say he hasn’t been much of his right mind ever since he met her.

Judith Harris.

A Hufflepuff witch with pale gold eyes and a heart of gold to match.

He met her alongside her best friend, David Willows, early third year. When they came to him seeking help on becoming Animagi. He was quick to shut both of them down. While David glared and protested, Judith eased the bullheaded Hufflepuff and gave him a shy sad expression along with an apology for disturbing him.

At the time, he wasn’t sure why he suddenly changed his mind to help the two. But as he got older, he did realize it was because of her.

Something about Judith was familiar. And…

He didn’t like the sad look into those bright eyes…

After the two achieved their forms and helped him find his feather necklace, Judith and Talbott became closer. Even to the point where he followed her out to the cemetery and learned about her dead father, Kendrick, on the anniversary of his death.

That’s when he learned that she was a part of his past. 

That single day of his childhood where he made a friend. And developed a bond on a girl who he thought was unique with her long pretty locs and Caribbean accent.

With it being their 5th year, Talbott has gone on two dates with her. Their very first date out by the Black Lake and last year on Valentine’s Day when he learned that he has deeper feelings for her outside of a friendship.

He can still remember the sweet blush on her face after he shyly gave her a kiss on the cheek after gifting her with a heart statue.

Giving her a physical representation of his heart.

He fiddled with the ring she gifted him that day. He always remembers seeing it on a black chain around her neck on occasion. Judith was a person who cares about sentimental value so it’s very likely she gifted him something that has a level importance to her. But he was so stunned when she slipped it onto his finger, and that it fitted perfectly, while announcing that it was her Valentine’s Day gift to him that he forgot to ask…

Maybe today he will. After all, after the Ball, he had a special surprise for her.

Of course, there had to be some last minute changes when he realized a certain Slytherin witch ALSO planned on using the Library and two fairies also got into a squabble. He had at least a day to make the arrangement work and the “Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts” actually might of done him a favor.

It would be nice to revisit where their tale began.

Talbott sighed, looking over his appearance once more before turning on his heel and leaving his room.

‘I hope she likes what I planned. She’s the only who deserves to see this side of me,’ he thought as he made his way to the Great Hall.

——————

“C’mon Little Tigress! We’re gonna be late,” David huffed, knocking insistently on his best mate’s door.

“I look ridiculous! I’m not going anymore!” Came the stubborn reply from the other side. David rolled his eyes at Judith’s behavior.

They’ve been busting their asses to save the Valentine’s Day Ball from a lonely Madam Pince by using a pining Mr. Filch. However, due to all the planning and finally asking out Merula and Talbott (after Judith finally got over her initial shyness), they didn’t have time to style an outfit for themselves. So they went to the resident Style Wizard for help. 

David’s pick was easy.

Judith however… not so much.

It was fair to say that Judith was more than disgruntled as she looked in the reflection for the suit Andre put together.

“You lost your damn mind Egwu if you think I’m going to the Ball like this. I look like a mom in her mid-30s looking to speak to your manager to file a complaint.”

David was on the floor in tears when he saw the offended look on the Ravenclaw wizard’s face. To be fair, the suit plus the pixie cut that Andre magically put together wasn’t doing his best mate any favors.

However, she didn’t step out to show the dress to them. She tried it on, switch back into her normal clothes, and left without much of another word.

Now David was curious to what could be wrong with Andre’s design for her to believe she looked “ridiculous”.

“C’mon Judith. What’s wrong with it? Surely it can’t be as bad as that suit Andre design,” David coaxed.

“…It’s… a lot…” David wasn’t sure what to make of that and they’re gonna be late if Judith kept this up.

“Judith, it’s either you open the door willingly to show me what you’re talking about or I break into your room to see for myself. We don’t have time for this right now,” David huffed. He didn’t want to late with for his dance with Merula.

Silence ensued and David was half considering going through with his threat when the tell tale sound of the door unlocking hit his eyes. David turned the knob and walked in.

He paused when he took in the sight of his little friend.

Judith was wearing a short black dress decorated with pink and red roses. A small slit can be found on her right leg. White 3-inch open toe heels were on her feet. Her usual ear accessories and earrings were present. A familiar dark red lipstick, dark eyeshadow, and black eyeliner made an appearance on her face. Her hair was out from its normal twists, curls and coils tumbling down her back and a bang swept over her right eye.

“David,” Judith mumbled awkwardly as her friend stared at her. That seemed to have broke the spell on the wizard as he shook his head to recollect himself.

“Well I’ll be damned… you look far from ridiculous, Judith. You look beautiful,” David said with a smile. Judith blushed and rubbed the back of her neck.

“You sure? It’s kind of revealing, don’t you think,” she asked. David cocked his head to the side, rescanning the girl from head to toe.

He could see her point, but it wasn’t as bad she probably thought it was.

The dress fitted her like glove, revealing the curves she was developing as a young woman. While the dress did show quite a bit of skin, it was still respectable.

“No, not really. To Bill and Orion, possibly but they’re big brothers who naturally want to keep every perverted wizard away from you. Hell, I may end up breaking someone’s teeth in if they think they can disrespect you like that. But you look beautiful Little Tigress, don’t think otherwise. Talbott would definitely agree with me,” David stated, watching his fellow Hufflepuff blushed at the name of the boy she’s been crushing on since third year.

David has been watching the two dance around each other since Judith admitted that she fancied the Ravenclaw wizard in the Charms classroom when practicing the Memory Charm. He was waiting for the two to finally get together already.

“If you’re done worrying, we still have a Ball to get to,” David said with a raised brow.

“But-EEP!” David already saw the protest in her eyes was quick to walk across the room and throw Judith over his shoulder. He only resorted to such measures when she was be difficult, and she was definitely being difficult.

“C’mon Little Tigress, your bird boy is waiting for you,” he said as he made his way out of her room. Judith spluttered over her words, mainly out of embarrassment at both what he said and the unnecessary position David has put her in.

“DAVID! Put me down, you brute! I’m in a dress for Merlin’s sake,” she protested loudly, wriggling in David’s unforgiving grip.

‘Damn demon lineage...’ she thought with a grimace.

“I'm well aware, we can clean you up when we're there with a spell, I not missing my chance to dance with Merula,” David said breezily. Judith gave up, allowing herself to be carried off like a sack of potatoes.

“Bloody sap... stupid dance,” she grumbled under her breath. David chuckled at her disgruntled mood.

“You’ll thank me for it by the end of the night, trust me,” he said. Judith pouted.

‘Assuming I don’t hide in a dark corner somewhere first...’

“Do that and I'm casting Lumos Maxima so there's nowhere for you to hide,” David said suddenly, nearly scaring the girl half to death. Judith mentally slapped her forehead out of exasperation. 

She should know better not to think aloud around David, seeing how they’re both Legilmens.

Damn it...

“Fine,” she huffed. Luckily for her, they finally arrived near the entrance of the Great Hall. David finally set her down, and casting a spell that made her look presentable again.

David offered his arm to her.

“Shall we, Little Tigress?” Judith felt her cheeks heating up at the thought of the person waiting on her inside the Great Hall before letting out a sigh. She took her best mate’s arm.

“I guess we shall...”

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

Talbott was chatting alongside with Merula, twirling a red rose between his hands when he heard a whistle. Both turned to make out the figures of their dates not too far from them.

David separated himself from his fellow Hufflepuff to walk up to the two. David gave Talbott a smirk and nodded over in Judith’s direction before stealing Merula away.

Talbott only raised a brow at the Hufflepuff wizard’s behavior before walking up to his date for the night. As he stood in front of her, any words that he was going to say to her, died at the tip of his tongue.

Talbott stared at his date, heart racing with a blush on the high points of his cheekbones as he looked at her from her curls to her high heeled shoes. The silence was starting to unnerve the Hufflepuff witch as her long time love interest stared at her without saying anything.

“Y-you clean up quite nicely, Talbott,” she blurted. She mentally smack herself immediately afterwards.

‘When did I become this awkward, goodness…’

However, seem to have done the trick and snapped Talbott back to reality.

“S-sorry, little bird. I-I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. I-It’s just that…” Talbott shook his head, trying to focus.

“It’s just that,” Judith echoed slowly, biting her bottom lip. She was worried that David might’ve been wrong and she looked like a fool in front of the boy she had feelings for.

Talbott stepped closer to her, tilting her head up by her chin so she could look at him. He offered a shy smile.

“You look beautiful, Judith. More lovely and temperate than a summer’s day,” He said softly, placing the rose he had behind her left ear. Judith blushed as she felt her heart race at his barely there touch.

“I-I… thank you, Talbott…” The Ravenclaw wizard smiled at the shy response. Behind them the instruments started seemed to be warming up to play the first song.

“May I have this dance,” Talbott asked, mock bowing to the girl. Judith giggled behind a red manicured hand.

“You may…” Taking her hand Talbott led Judith close to the center of the dance floor, with David and Merula standing not too far from them. The fairies that were lighting up the room swirled around the students, leaving them in awe at the magical moment. In the midst of this, David gave his friend a wink, who in turned returned it with an unimpressed glare. Judith returned her attention back to her date once she felt him take one of her hands

“I’m not usually one who likes public displays, but… I quite like this one… almost as much as I like you,” Talbott quietly admitted as he looked into pale gold eyes.

‘Is it possibly to pass out from blushing so much? Because I think I’m close…’ Judith thought as she ducked her head with a smile. Talbott was being so sweet and kind to her, she wanted to be wrapped up in his arms and dance the night away.

Judith looked back up at him with a teasing grin.

“I hope you like dancing too, because it’s our time to shine…”

————————

Talbott was smiling at the laughing girl in his arms as he spun her around. The two have been in their own little bubble ever since the dance started.

Their shy exteriors melted away leaving behind something much warmer and intimate. Anyone with eyes can see that they were clearly smitten with each other. Which were plenty watching them on occasion.

Red eyes darted around the Great Hall, finding the person he was looking for. He gave the Headmaster a subtle nod which he returned with a knowing smile. Talbott stepped back from Judith to clear his throat with a smile.

“All this dancing is making me thirsty, I think I’m gonna get a refreshment,” he said. Judith smiled at him, making his heart stutter in a lovestruck sigh.

“A refreshment sounds great, actually! I’ll go with you-” 

“N-no need! I-I’ll get one for you! Just...  stay right there,” Talbott stuttered before taking off. Judith’s brows furrowed in confused as she watch Talbott disappear in the darkness.

Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning, she saw the cheery smile of David.

“Cheers, Little Tigress! I see that I was right about you enjoying yourself,” he said with a grin. Judith glared and punched his arm.

“Cheeky bastard,” she growled. David laughed good naturedly while rubbing his arm.

“I’m surprised you’re not with Synde. Seeing how eager you were to get here and be with her,” she retorted. David shrugged.

“Mer said she going to get refreshments for the both of us. She actually suggest I go find you to see how your night was so far,” David replied. Gold eyes narrow out of suspicion.

“That’s a little odd. Talbott just let to do the same thing...”

“Was it? I found it very typical  of Miss Synde and Mr. Winger,” a third voice said. David and Judith turned to see the amused face of their Headmaster.

The pair chatted with Professor Dumbledore for a while when Judith noticed something was amiss.

“It’s bit awhile since Merula and Talbott went to get refreshments. Surely it can’t take that long,” Judith pondered out loud. Dumbledore smiled.

“Clever eye, Miss Harris. That’s because they’re no longer here and they personally asked me to distract you,” he chuckled. David and Judith glanced at each other before looking back up at Dumbledore.

“Professor,” David asked warily. Dumbledore chuckled.

“Mr. Willows, you can head to the library. Miss Harris... while Mr. Winger wasn’t explicit with the location for you to go to, he did say ‘Remember our first date’ as a clue. Enjoy the rest of your storybook fairytale night, you two. You deserve it,” Professor Dumbledore informed the pair with a knowing smile. 

Judith blushed walking out of the Great Hall with David. The two said their goodbyes as Judith made her way outside. Transforming into her Black Sparrowhawk, she couldn’t help but wonder what Talbott had planned at the Black Lake...

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

Judith landed on the shore and transformed back, only to be surprised to find who was waiting for her.

“Lily,” she asked as the little fairy flew around her, buzzing out of excitement. 

What was her little friend doing all the way out here?

The magical creature took ahold of her hand, tugging her to the Boat house. 

“Okay, okay, I’m coming. Just slow down, I am wearing heels after all,” she laughed gently. Judith followed the excited fairy inside only to freeze at the door way.

Standing inside was Talbott. The place looked to have been cleaned out. Numerous fairies including her own lit up the Boathouse in a soft glow. Rose petals scattered the floor, along with some candles. A large heart made up of different colored roses was hung up behind the Ravenclaw wizard. A small table with some chairs of some of the food and drinks form the Ball sat in a corner. Somewhere in the background, there was soft music playing as well.

Talbott walked up to the stunned Hufflepuff witch and took her hand.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, little bird,” he spoke softly. Judith shook her head out of disbelief. 

“W-what is all this, Talbott,” she asked. The young man bit his lip.

“I-I... I may have been planning this while I was at the Owlery... I wanted to surprise you. While I did originally plan to do this in the Library, someone else had the same idea... So I’d figured the Black Lake was the next best thing. I did have some help putting this together,” Talbott admitted.

Lily buzzed, as if she was giggling at the two. Judith rose a brow at her Fairy’s cheeky behavior before chuckling.

“I just thought that... after everything you’ve done for Hogwarts, for me, you deserved a storybook romance,” Talbott said. Judith rescanned the room before offering a smile.

“I had no idea that you could be such a romantic, Talbott. But clearly you are.” Talbott blushed, scratching the back of his neck.

“I guess all that poetry paid off...”

--------

The pair sat and ate, chatting in between. Talbott giving going as far to feed Judith a bit of a cupcake. He ended blushing when he felt her lips touch his fingers tips as she let out a pleased moan. 

Currently they were slow dancing in the middle of the room, listening to the music softly playing in the background.

“This is really amazing, Talbott,” Judith spoke up, daring to look up at red eyes that reminded her of rubies.

“You’re the amazing one, Judith. I was simply following my heart,” Talbott replied, squeezing her closer. That foreign yet familiar scent that clung onto the Hufflepuff filled his nose.

“O-Oh stop it. I am not,” Judith insisted with a nervous laugh. Having Talbott so close to her was causing her heart to beat faster than normal. Talbott stopped dancing in favor of holding her hands. His gaze was unwavering.

“I mean it, little bird. You made this Valentine’s Day  perfect for everyone, even Flich and Pince... And especially for me,” Talbott confessed. Pearly whites flashed at him.

“All I wanted was a magical Valentine’s Day with my date,” Judith started, glancing down for a quick moment to gather herself before looking back up at Talbott through her lashes.

“...And... And I’m so happy that date is you...” And she was. Truly. 

Talbott was the picture perfect gentleman. And the fact he went through great lengths to make Valentine’s Day memorable for her reminded her of happier times from her childhood. Except now it was with someone who likes her for her. 

She hasn’t felt this special in years...

Talbott urged his heart to calm down as he reached for his wand.

“I feel the same way, Judith. And I... made something for you...” Stepping back, Talbott casted a spell, causing a book to appear. Judith blinked out of surprise at the book that hovered between them. Carefully reaching for it, she opened it to a random page somewhere in the beginning.

“...The loner poet listened to the Howler professed the words he wasn’t aware that lived in his heart. Speaking of a deep longing for a girl with otherworldly pale gold eyes. To never leave him because when he looks into her unique irises, he can see future. A future where he would wake up to them every morning. A future where he would look at child with the same eyes as her. A future that would lead to forever together.

He felt his heart stall in his chest, itching to cast a spell to light the Howler ablaze to prevent its words being heard by unwanted ears. It was then he smelled her before he heard her.

A hint of sea breeze that made him feel like he was standing so close the never-ending ocean. Chocolate that reminded him of her skin tone. A variety of fainter sweet scents, most he couldn’t name but the one he could pick out was honey.

Her melodious low voice sung to his eardrums:

“Hey, what did your Valentine Howler say?” He swiftly turned to find pale gold eyes curiously looking up at him. He could feel his heart speed up when he connected the dots.

It was her.

She was the one his heart longed for.

Everything that has transpired that day and this revelation became too much for the loner poet to take. He was quick to deny that his Howler hasn’t said anything, using the opportunity their teacher has created to leave the classroom. 

He needed time. Time to think of what to do next...”

Judith was so engrossed in words written on the page that she didn’t realize that Talbott was now standing behind her.

“It’s not finished, more so of a... work in progress for an ongoing story...” Judith jumped a little when she felt his breath ghost over her visible ear.

“This is about you,” she whispered, releasing the book to float again. She turned to find Talbott staring down at her with half lid eyes.

“It’s about you and me, little bird,” he whispered, cupping one of her cheeks. Judith closed her eyes, leaning into his warm touch. 

There was a shift in the air and she nervous but secretly excited to where this could lead...

Talbott withdrew for a moment forcing Judith to open her eyes again. She notice a heart shaped key necklace in his hand.

“What’s that,” she asked quietly.

“This is the key that unlocks the book. I made it be this way so you can wear it like a necklace. So our story would always be with you,” Talbott answered, carefully placing the it around her neck. A full body shiver raked Judith’s body when she felt the tips of his finger ghost over the sensitive skin.

“I... I never had someone put this much effort for me. To bare your feelings like this, Talbott... I... I don’t know what to say,” Judith confessed quietly. She could barely hear her own voice over the roar of blood rushing to her face combined with the sound of her heartbeat pounding against her eardrums.

Talbott caressed her cheek again.

“I don’t expect an answer from you right away little bird. I’m more than happy to do this for you. You’re the only one who deserves to see this side of me...” Talbott leaned closer aiming to place a kiss on her cheek. Much like he did last year.

What Judith did next surprised both of them. 

Turning her head ever so slightly, she caught Talbott’s lips with her own. This stunned the pair, both remaining motionlessly for a few moments. Just as the Ravenclaw wizard was about to pull back, Judith held him there by his tie, pressing against him. Her painted lips moved against his unresponsive ones slowly, testing the waters and his resolve.

After a moment of deliberation, Talbott gave in and returned the unexpected kiss. With one hand cupping her face, its twin finding refuge on her lower back, pushing her closer still. Judith released his tie in favor of wrapping her arms around his neck, melting in his embrace. Both of them were placed under a cloudy haze as their lips continued to move against one another.

The pair broke apart for air, foreheads resting against one another. Talbott silently licked his lips, picking up the taste of vanilla.

‘She tastes just as sweet as she looks. Good Gods help me...’ came the helpless thought as he found himself at the end of Judith’s sultry stare. 

‘What are you doing to me, Talbott? Why do I feel this way towards you...’

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Talbott,” Judith whispered, placing a soft kiss against the corner of his lips. Talbott shivered at the sound of her voice, which has dipped down an octave. Her accent came out, loud and clear. His hands, which has migrated to her waist, squeezed down on the curve for a few seconds.

He could listen to her speak to him like this for hours...

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Judith... Thank you for being my valentine...” Judith let out soft chuckle, pulling him in for another kiss.

In the midst of this an involuntary thought passed through her mind. One which would shatter the Hufflepuff witch later on.

‘I love you, Talbott...’

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

Some time has passed since the Valentine’s Day Ball. Judith more or less went back to her life as per usual. 

With occasional outing with Talbott when classes and working for Rakepick became too much for her.

It was late at night and she was at the shore of the Black Lake, practicing her spellwork. She always wanted to remain sharp on her skills and it was a way for her to prepare for the upcoming O.W.L.S., which was approaching fast.

She decided to practice the Patronus Charm, seeing how she hasn’t casted it in awhile.

“Expecto Patronum!”

What came out of the tip of her wand shocked her.

Instead of her usual Siberian Tiger was a-

“G-Golden E-Eagle?!” Her eyes watched as the avian predator flew above her before disappearing. 

She shocked her head, not believing what she just saw.

Over and over again, she casted the spell, waiting to see her beloved tiger. Only to watch the animal that came out soar its wings above her.

Her legs gave out from beneath her. 

“No, no, no! How can this be happening?! Patronuses don’t change,” she panicked. A vague memory came resurfaced in her mind.

“Though I have heard of Patronuses changing forms after falling in love...” Judith’s eyes widen.

That voice belonged to Tonks when they were dealing with the Dementor threat from last year.

Another memory surfaced, however, much older...

“Gift this ring to the one your heart desires above all others. It will only fit and accept that one person, anyone else, it’ll reject and return to you...” Tears ran down her cheeks. When she realized what memory it was.

“Gran-Gran...” came the broken whisper. Her grandmother gifted her a magical blue and silver ring before she died. The same ring she gave to Talbott just a year prior. She didn’t remember her dear grandmother’s words when she gave it to him. 

Now that she thought about it, the ring never returned to her. And it was on Talbott’s left ring finger the night of the Ball.

Even as she kissed him, those three words that haunted her since childhood has crossed her flowery dazed mind.

She couldn’t do anything but face the truth. To speak the words that haunted her in form of a Boggart from third year.

“I love Talbott Winger...”

And she was secretly terrified.

Because she knew if he were to confess the same, she was done for.

Her heart would be his. 

And risk breaking if he were to ever leave...

[one-boring-person]

Bro, I hope I got this right and that you like it, I'm kinda worried that it's not that great😅 I've never really shown much interest in the 50s, but the research I did looked pretty cool, so I hope this is decent!

Requested by: my good friend @jawline-of-steel 😊💛

What Do You Know About Vampires?

The Lost Boys x reader (set in the 1950s)

Warnings: none

Masterlist

"Why must you always meet with him so late, (Y/n)? Why can't you just have a normal date in the day, like the rest of us?" Kiera complains as we walk down to the Boardwalk, our skirts blowing gently in the cool seabreeze that flows through the town, our neatly styled hair loosening a little from the heat of the warm summer night.

At her question, I roll my eyes, shaking my head at her unwillingness, as well as at her ignorance of the fact that it's not just a "him", but more like a "them".

"Because they have to work during the day, Kiera. Not everyone is as privileged as your Jay is." I remind her, referring to her wealthy husband, Jay, a man everyone knows for his money, rather than his personality.

"Oh, yes, you've told me this before." She rolls her eyes in turn, "What is his job, anyway? You've never said anything about that."

I think for a minute, my brow burrowing as we arrive at our destination, the attraction only just starting to fill up as the sun drops below the horizon, casting the town into twilight, the sky turning a beautiful deep blue. They mentioned it once, when I first met them; I remember being surprised to find out that they all work in the same place, but being unsurprised when they told me what the job actually entailed.

"I think they work as mechanics, somewhere on the outskirts of town." I frown slightly, "I don't remember the name of the workshop, though. All I know is that they bought their motorcycles from the place next door (Note that these are not the same as they are in the movie, but are more decade-appropriate)."

"You keep saying "they". Don't you mean "he"?" Kiera queries, eyeing me suspiciously when I chuckle nervously.

"Well, I mean what I say. It's not a "he", it's a "they"." I clarify, brushing a strand of hair behind my ear as I try not to blush too much, knowing my irrational embarrassment is entirely visible on my face.

She stops abruptly, a hand on my arm as she looks at me in horror.

"You mean...you are in a relationship...With two men?!" She exclaims, blue eyes wide.

I struggle for words for a moment, not entirely sure how to put what I need to say, knowing that she'll find it even more outlandish than what she now thinks.

"Not two people..." I start, thinking through my words.

"Not two? So you're in a relationship with one? And you call him "they"?"

"No, no. What I mean to say, is that I'm in a relationship with four men."

There is silence between us as she stares me down, her mouth falling agape momentarily before she regains her composure, straightening her back as she falls back into step with me, brushing off her skirt as she goes.

"Four?!" Is all she can say, the word hissed out at me as we make our way to the base of the Ferris wheel, walking in and out of the homebound workers in overalls, and their smartly dressed comrades as they filter through the popular summer attraction. A tall man greets us as we move past, the top buttons of his work shirt undone to reveal a patch of tanned skin beneath, the bulging muscles on his arms implying that he works in the construction industry, his dusty overclothes appearing bleached and completely soiled. Beside me, Kiera smiles and laughs flirtatiously as he speaks, her sweet demeanour putting a broad smile on the roughly spoken man's face.

"Yes, I'm in a relationship with four men, who I love dearly, and who love me just as dearly. You know, just the other day one of them told me that they had something very important to ask me." I pause for dramatic effect, "I think they may ask me to marry them!"

"What?! But how?! And what do your parents think?"

At this, I pull a face and look away slightly, a little annoyed that she isn't happy for me.

"In the same manner that everyone gets married, Kiera, it is no unusual affair. And as for my parents," I roll my eyes, knowing exactly what they'll say when they find out, "I value their opinions, but they are sometimes old fashioned in their attitudes. They will hopefully come around quickly once they have met them."

Kiera doesn't reply immediately, an uneasy frown on her face as we reach our destination, the two of us stopping by the great struts of the Ferris wheel in silence.

"I'm happy for you, (Y/n), I really am, but I'm not sure I can quite understand how you manage to maintain a relationship with four men. I find that one is quite enough." She laughs dryly, referring to the hardships she often faces with Jay.

"It works well, thank you." I decide to leave the conversation there, unwilling to keep going, "Is Jay meeting us here, too?"

"Yeah, he should be here in a few minutes." She looks around at the crowd, "He's coming straight from one of his car competitions."

"Oh? Where is it this time?"

"I don't know, he told me earlier, but the names all sound the same to me, so I easily forgot it."

We laugh at this, knowing it to be true.

"You two ladies having fun there?" A familiar, smooth voice interrupts us, the tone teasing as it always is.

Together, Kiera and I turn around to face the newcomers, a smile quickly spreading over my face as I see the four bikers standing there, the lapels of their jackets and shirts turned up against the breeze, their usually neat hair dishevelled from the ride over.

"Oh, plenty, thank you. And you boys?" I reply playfully, letting my eyes roam over their masculine figures, very much enjoying the sight of them.

"All the more that we are here now." David smirks, stepping forwards to kiss my cheek in greeting, letting his lips linger a second or so longer than necessary as I breathe in the brief wave of motor oil and sweat, as well as leather and cologne.

"I'm glad." I smile, letting the other boys do the same as I turn around to face Kiera again, "Kiera, I'd like you to meet David, Dwayne, Marko and Paul."

In turn, each of the boys smirks and gives a wave of their own, Kiera politely greeting them as she struggles to process what she's seeing.

Thankfully, Jay chooses this moment to arrive, the short man running up to us with a call of our names, smiling widely as he takes Kiera around the waist and kisses her, a deep blush appearing on her cheeks as she reciprocates it. Upon seeing this, Paul steps forwards and places an arm around my waist, pulling me against his body as Marko steps up and does the same on the other side, David and Dwayne moving to stand beside their comrades, smiling genially.

Jay eventually pulls away from Kiera, only to double-take when he sees the five of us as we are, a variety of emotions flitting over his features before he settles on a neutral one.

"Hey, (Y/n), how are you?" The young man eventually manages.

"I'm good, Jay. How about you?"

"Good, good, thank you." He responds, staring at the bikers behind me, taking in the grease-stained leather jackets and rolled up trouser legs, enviously eyeing their boots as he compares them with his own smart shoes, evidently wishing he'd dressed differently.

"Jay, this is David, Dwayne, Marko and...Paul, was it?" Kiera steps in, looping her arm through her husband's, watching as he tenses slightly, almost as if shying away from her touch.

The four bikers smile and shake hands with Jay, each of them standing a good head taller than the refined man, a triumphant smirk creeping onto Marko's face when he realises this.

"Well, what's the plan?" I ask them, open to any ideas of how to spend the night.

"I want to go on the Ferris wheel, because it looks very romantic. I think you could benefit from that, Jay." Kiera interjects, smiling playfully up at her husband, though he only grunts and rolls his eyes.

"The Ferris wheel it is. Let's go!" Dwayne chips in, pushing Mark and Paul out of the way as he takes my arm and gently leads me over to the queue to get on, where he carefully wraps his arm around my smaller body, pulling me against him. The others are quick to join us, Paul pouting as he watches Dwayne hold me, David only laughing as he pulls a cigarette out of his pocket, sticking it behind his ear as he searches for his lighter, moving it from his blonde hair before he lights it.

"You got a spare?" Jay asks quickly, leaning forwards a bit as he waits for David's response.

"Sure." The blonde confirms, shrugging as he finds another cigarette and lights it for him, handing it over when it starts to smoke.

"Thanks."

"No problem."

The queue moves slowly, but the boys manage to keep us entertained as we wait, making the time feel much shorter as we laugh our way through the snaking line of people. When we finally manage to get on, we find that we have to split up into five separate pairs, plus one of us who will remain alone, so Paul, Marko and David choose to stay at the bottom, watching ad Dwayne and I settle into a seat together, the brunette throwing his arm around my shoulders as we go. Before we leave the ground, I just about catch the other three discussing something, though I only hear a couple of sentences.

"Are you going to tell her tonight?" Marko asks David, voice sounding curious.

"I think so." Is the reply, before Dwayne and I are too high to hear any more.

*

Two hours pass, the seven of us having a relatively good time together, despite the awkwardness between Jay and the boys, before Kiera and the former decide to call it a night, leaving the rest of us to keep ourselves entertained. By now, the Boardwalk is a little less busy than it usually is, meaning we can walk pretty much unhindered around the different stalls lining the road misreading towards their parked bikes. Already, they have offered to give me a ride home, though I have declined, knowing my parents' distrust of boys and men around me, willing to walk home in any case. Of course, they can't let this happen, and have insisted that they at least give me a ride to the end of the road I live on, but not before they tell me something important.

Curious, I let them lead me onto the beach, David keeping an arm wrapped around my waist as he guides me onto the sand, the pressure feeling reassuring but unfamiliar, as if he's trying to keep me calm. We go a few steps away from the edge of the Boardwalk, making sure that we are out of earshot but still within the light, coming to a stop just on the edge of it.

"What is it that you want to tell me?" I ask, frowning slightly as the others crowd around me, as if trying to stop me from going somewhere.

"Well, (Y/n), we think that you've earned our trust, so we think that we can tell you our deepest, darkest secret. But before I tell you what it is, I need you to swear yourself to secrecy. No one can know about what I'm going to tell you. No one." David starts, giving me a serious look instead of his usual teasing one, blue eyes cold in the harsh light.

"I swear?" I say, looking at him in confusion. What could he possibly need to tell me, that's so secret?

"No, you need to mean it. Swear you won't tell a soul." He almost growls, shaking his head.

"Ok, I swear I won't tell anyone what you're about to tell me." I repeat, trying not to roll my eyes.

"Ok that will do." He pauses briefly, exchanging a look with the others, "What do you know about vampires, (Y/n)?"

Shocked and confused, I frown as I regard the blonde in front of me, wondering if he's maybe inhaled a few too many fumes at work today.

"Vampires?"

"Yes, vampires. What do you know about them?"

It takes me a few seconds to reply, needing to collect my thoughts.

"I know that they don't exist." I say with conviction, eyeing him carefully. Surprisingly, the four of them chuckle quietly, obviously expecting the answer from me.

"And that, my dear (Y/n), is where you are wrong."

[the-moon-prince]

The Last Of us~Kurapika x Reader ~Chapter IV

AN: Hi my lovely fellows!

A new chapter! I tried my best to develop further the self insert character and clarify more its backstory and clan! I have somethings planned I hope you’ll enjoy. Thank you so much for all you support and I thank you for reading!

I wish you a pleasant read, and I hope you’ll enjoy the new chapter of my story.  (Chapter I) (Chapter II) (Chapter III) (Chapter V  soon!)

Paring: Kurapika Kurta x GN! Reader

Word count: 2 307

TW: None!

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

Everything in life has a continuation. Kurapika and (Y/n)'s relationship is also subject to this law. An undeniable detail was that the lives of both subjects were terribly busy and loaded. Notably, the activities that Kurapika was involved in were lightened. (Y/n) held their word to assist him in his cause, as their work turned out to be advantageous. Primarily when it came to retrieving scarlet eyes. Kurapika even recovered two more pairs not long after by the dint of their research.

Another point in common was that the two were- Or at least when they wanted- very organized. The majority of encounters took place after they departed their jobs with the Nostrade. Consisting most frequently in small walks in nearby parks, have coffee or read together. Accommodating conversations that permitted them to know each other.

"What is the reason behind your decision to study psychiatry?" It occurred to Kurapika to bid during a walk. The situation was atypical; people with profitable prior careers didn't take the Hunter exam, not to mention how extremely young (Y/n) was, being just a year younger than him. But knowing the introversion of his partner, he decided to go little by little.

"My grandad was one. I aspired to be similar to him.

He had a treasury full of medicine and psychiatry titles I loved to read, I also sneaked into his conversations on the subject!" -(Y/n) gloated, with a tiny rocking and a smile.-"I find the functioning of the brain stimulating! And I like to help, it makes me feel useful. One of his acquaintances invited me to be his apprentice several times ago. I just accepted." 

It was not rare for them to get together in the same room for each to work on their matters. They spent time in each other's presence. It was what mattered to them. 

~

In the beginning, (Y / n) was the one that expressed questions the most. Especially details that many would judge insignificant.-"What is your preferred flavor of ice cream?" "Your favorite color? Mine is (Fav .color)" What musical genre do you prefer? I like (Fav. genre), I'm particularly a David Bowie fan." The answers to those questions were vanilla, light gray, and jazz. (Y/n) liked to accumulate all the possible details about Kurapika. More than once he was surprised that the (hair/colored) remembered, like what candy he preferred from the local store, that he liked his water slightly cooler than room-temperature or they reminded him to take a break from using his contact lenses. (Y/n) was also very vocal, consciously or not, with what they liked about Kurapika. They made him blush more than once with "you look pretty today", "you are kind, thank you" or "I love your eyes, they are blue dog's eyes". He had no clue what the latter meant or where were their origins, but (Y/n) said it so lovingly that he couldn't help feeling like it was the greatest of compliments.

Kurapika relied most on studying (Y/n) body language to approach them. He soon realized that while their face was not very expressive, the rest of their body tended to be. When they were waiting for something that excited them, they tapped the table with their long nails. They used to hold the door for the person behind them and him. And the two things that Kurapika found the most adorable of all, they tilted their head when they thought of something and flapped their hands when they were excited-even if they tried to suppress it on occasions. Something that Kurapika was not anticipating at all, particularly considering its dexterity and exactness from the time they fought, was (Y/n) clumsiness. They took bad or silly postures and never tied their shoes- Kurapika suspected them to not know how-.

He loved to tease (Y/n) with it. Expressly when they caught a light pole in the road, for not paying attention while they talked.

(Y/n) reminded him so much of Pairo, shy, a tad playful, and caring.

Pairo...

He would have liked to meet Yorknew. Observe everything Kurapika had seen. He sure would have liked the cinnamon rolls and the city lights. It was cruel and wicked. 

"Kurapika"- a quiet voice took him away from his thoughts. His head stung.

"Here's your tea, sunshine"-(Y/n) placed a cup full of steaming cinnamon tea in front of him, and proceeded to sit down.-"Are you fine?"

"Yes, I was just... just thinking."- Kurapika mumbled and looked at his cup.

 "I see. It is not wrong to miss someone. It simply signifies you love them, and they're important to you."-They mumbled, also looking down at the tea, as if they were capable of reading his mind. They certainly didn't read minds. Just missed someone too.-"If we don't remember them no one else will."- (Y/n) muttered as if the statement was also for them. They wanted nothing more than to comfort him. In one effort they dubiously lifted their hand and started to gently rub his back.

Kurapika turned to see them.-"You call me sunshine now?" He wanted to tease them. It didn't work.

(Y/n) nooned with pride.-"Because of your hair, the color evokes a ray of sunshine. Without sunlight, the flowers do not grow, therefore it is important. You are valuable to me."-Completely overlooking the other man's intentions. Kurapika covered his face with his hands and started laughing. He felt better.

"You are sickly sweet!"- he exclaimed, shaking his head. 

"I am. And you're sneakier than you seem." (Y/n) similarly joked. They rested their heads on the hand, drinking tea. They maybe were sappy, but in the end, Kurapika loved it. He had someone to comfort him and with whom he could play. How he had missed this!

"Your piano is nearly the only furniture you have in your living room, and I haven't seen you play it yet."-continued taking a sip of his tea. He didn't know if (Y/n) played the piano, but they certainly prepared good tea.

"I am not very skilled. I am incapable of composing anything, and I haven't played for a long time. I was taught how to play some melodies, and that's what I play."

"May I see?"-Kurapika requested, for (Y/n) to approach the grand piano. They opened the tone's cover and he started to play. Sol-Fa Re Si-Fa Re Si ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f81rM4BKODw ). It sounded like a child's song, sweet and simple.

"My grandad was better. Verily, the instruments make me nostalgic, I have them essentially for that." They babbled once finished.

"You're not awful either." The blonde assured-"Did he teach you?" 

(Y/n) agreed with a smile. "We fancied dancing and singing. My people liked artistic activities, we were somewhat hippies." they joked with a melancholic undertone.

"And the Kurta?"-their interests were genuine

Kurapika was surprised, it was the first time anyone had asked him. He couldn't help but respond excitedly.- "Well, I traveled with a friend, his name was Pairo. We transported ourselves on the backs of huge birds called Pikos! It was really fun... did you had something similar to travel?"

(Y/n) stared at him for a moment, tilting their head "We were the animals...", to them, the answer was a bit obvious. Why would they mount animals for transportation if they could transform themselves into animals?

"That seems lawful... I quite omitted that detail." Kurapika notified. I forgot that people like (Y/n) were part beast. They hardly ever mentioned him and he hadn't seen them in their other form either.

(Y/n) Laughed-"And we used normal cars. Uniliums didn't live very detached from humans. Our community was like 40 away from the city and most adults worked in it. We just maintained our animal figure in private. Most humans didn't have a clue they were fraternizing with us." They were delighted to talk about their peers. Like when you talk about a family member you haven't seen in a long time.

"What kind of animals were they?"-.Kurapika's curiosity about the group only increased. Besides if he knew more about them he would also know more about his (Y/n).

They hummed, -"Well... we were all mammals. Most were preys, for each predator, there was an average of 13 preys. Of 126 members, we were 10. There were mice, rabbits, deers. But no one was sure how to determine which animal would be an offspring."- They cheerfully explained, general information. But nothing about themselves. 

Kurapika would have to question directly.-"And you?"

"I am the cat. But I was raised by wolves, like Romulus and Remus. Who knows? I might establish my own empire!"-(Y/n) played.

It was the first time they mentioned it. But now that he reflected, (Y/n) resembled a cat. They had particularly long fangs and claws.

"I didn't know your parents were wolves!" Kurapika felt he was finally learning a little more about his lover's past. But the reaction received was not the one he expected. An ordinary person, he included, would be glad to remember his parents.

(Y/n) quitted smiling and leaned their head into their folded arms. The atmosphere in the room had changed.-"They are average humans. As we mix with humans, it was not uncommon for some to marry them. My grandfather's mother and my grandfather, who were Uniliums, married humans. My mother was human and married another human."- they mumbled. Kurapika felt that the topic was not very pleasant for them, and considered it appropriate to stop that conversation.

"I comprehend..."-and changed the topic-"Kurtas were further separated. It was difficult to get outward of our village. This to guard us. Controlling the scarlet eyes and our emotions was not easy. Many panicked when they saw them."

(Y/n) seemed to quickly forget the preceding topic and willingly listened to their beloved again.-"I understand that. Some humans were also afraid of us, they believed we were demons or beasts. The funny thing is that the deluded wouldn't recognize us."-they mocked-"Sentiments could also influence our appearance. But our parents taught us to be cautious since cubs." 

(Y/n) had seen Kurapika with his scarlet eyes, but he hadn't seen them in their beast form. The most he had seen was that night when they saw him straight in the eye, and their pupils were contracted, like a cat's, and the (e/c) had almost fully spread.

"You have never revealed your cat form to me. I bet you're adorable!"- He expressed in an attempt to satiate his curiosity. 

They sure weren't anticipating that request, following a moment of hesitation, they lilted "I presume I get accustomed to wearing this shape."

Kurapika wanted (Y/n) to have confidence in him. He understood the concern in showing foreigners such aspects. After all, they had both been marginalized and punished for their looks.-"It's not going to be unpleasant to me. I like cats." he offered them a sweet smile. 

At the moment he blinked and reopened his eyes, (Y/n) had a pair of fuzzy (color) cat ears, the right one with a tiny darker spot on the tip, a fluffy tail, and their hair was slightingly fuzzed up. Maybe the most remarkable thing was their feet, long and standing on the tip.

 Their eyes changed again, and their hands were slightly larger with wider claws; to ultimately have the appearance of a cat-humanoid. They didn't look so different and they were still (Y/n). 

Kurapika didn't see anything devilish about the person in front of him. Rather, he saw an exotic beauty, like fantastic creatures from magical books. He felt lucky to be able to witness something of that bearing and have that experience. What was so special to him was that this being was his partner.

"You certainly are a kitten. That's something you can do in that form?"-Kurapika interrogated.

(Y/n) took a minute to consider, head tilted as usual- the only difference is that their ears moved delicately-. They raised their open hands, showing some very pink set to digital pads, advanced towards him wagging his tail, and cupping his face with a cute smile.

"Your hands are very soft, darling."-Kurapika giggled at the silly idea. (Y/n)'s grin grew wider, closed its eyes, and in complete pride said "I have paws, honey!" That was true. Not many could say they had paws. Especially a so soft and warm pair. (Y/n) appeared happy and relieved, as if they had been discharged from a weight or they were finally doing something they had repressed.

"And you also have marshmallow cheeks. Can you do something particular under that form?"-As Kurapika enjoyed the softness of the caring touch, his question was not precisely answered.

(Y/n) separated their paws from his face, and showed its claws. "I have retractile claws, like, well, a cat. Under this form my strength and speed increase. My bite force equals that of a Jaguar. Ultimately I'm capable of using a more potent nen's technique since my aura flow grows. Although, you know I'm a pacifist. I tend to be softer..."

"You look like a big plush doll. Yet, this appearance may be tricky. You absolutely are a cat."- Kurapika could recognize why (Y/n)'s clan was killed to extermination. Many collectors would be filled with sick and devious pride to have such a creature. He was happy that at least (Y/n) survived. For the first time, he was happy that he too survived.

[fanficshiddles]

His ray of sunshine, Chapter 37

The following day Keira was nervous to go outside again. It upset her, because she thought after last night she would be back to normal.

‘Oh love. It’s ok. This is normal, I promise you. It was never going to be an easy or quick fix. But you will get there again, I know you will.’ Tom said as he crouched down on front of her and wiped her tears away with his thumbs.

She sniffed and nodded, trying to stop crying. He rubbed her arms and slid his hands down to hold her hands. ‘You don’t need to come outside just now if you don’t want to, we can wait until night time again if that would help?’ He suggested.

‘No… I want to do it. I know once I’m outside I will be ok. It’s just…’

‘Getting there.’ Tom finished for her.

She looked at him and nodded with a sigh.

‘We could just go onto the green and I can braid your hair for you?’ Tom offered.

‘Ok.’ She agreed and went to fetch her hairbrush and hair bands.

Tom quickly text Michael and asked him to make sure that no one rushed her when they went outside. He knew that Jessica and Tilda would be desperate to see her and catch up, but he didn’t want her to get too overwhelmed too soon.

Keira held Tom’s hand tightly when they stepped outside. She was a bit more willing than she had been originally during the night. Which was good. She did hesitate a little before going down the steps to the green, but she did it.

They sat down on the soft grass and Tom put his legs around her, like a protective barrier. And it worked because she did feel safe encased within him, almost. He crooned for her while he started brushing her long hair and gently braiding it.

Charlie slowly wandered up to join them, checking it was ok. He sat down next to them and watched while Tom did her hair.

‘I still can’t get over how long your hair is.’ Tom smiled.

‘Yours is getting almost as long.’ Charlie teased him, earning a glare from Tom but he smirked.

Keira laughed. ‘I should braid your hair.’

‘Now that I would love to see.’ Charlie laughed.

Keira relaxed more and more as the day went on. They stayed outside, but Tom told her to just let him know if she wanted to go back in at any time. But she was feeling pretty good about it all.

One by one the pack went to join them, until they were all gathered together having a laugh and talking like before.

They did talk about the incident, too. Because they all knew it wouldn’t do Keira any good to just tiptoe around it. They all thanked her for rescuing the omegas, because she did. If it wasn’t for her, they wouldn’t be there.

Her quick thinking with the phone, not letting Ben or David see that she had it was a smart move.

She also got talking to Mia. Who told her about also feeling scared about going out after what had happened. But she was glad she did because now she had met Charlie.

The four omegas got some time along together. Tom had been a little reluctant to let Keira away from his reach, but he knew she was ok and needed some omega time. So he let the omegas go down to the decking while he went to make himself useful by doing some chores around the place.

Though he kept a close eye on Keira, making sure he was within her sight at all times. She kept looking at him, too. To make sure he was nearby. But she was just glad of any of the Alphas being around. She did relax more and more, not looking for Tom quite as much as she had been at the start.

She liked Mia, so did the other two. Keira decided she was a good fit for Charlie.

‘Do you think Charlie will invite you to move in with him, then?’ Jessica asked Mia.

‘I hope so.’ Mia blushed. ‘He’s really nice, one of the nicest Alphas I’ve met.’

‘What happened with your old pack, if you don’t mind me asking?’ Tilda asked.

‘I still lived with my parents when I was kidnapped by David. After I was rescued, my parents begged their leader to let me back in but he wouldn’t allow it. Said I was tainted goods.’ Mia said sadly and looked down at her hands in her lap.

Keira shuffled over closer to her and put her arm around her. ‘Well, you’re with us now. And I think we’re all tainted goods really.’ She said and looked at the other two with a smile, who nodded in agreement.

‘I just hope Charlie doesn’t dislike me because I was kidnapped.’ Mia said.

‘Not at all. He’s never looked so happy before.’ Keira said honestly. ‘Has he spoke to you about his own past?’

‘Yeah, he has.’ Mia nodded. ‘It only made me like him even more. He’s really incredible. Speaks very fondly over you, too.’ She said to Keira, who smiled.

‘He is a one of a kind. Kinda like the big brother I’ve never had.’ Keira said with a fond smile.

Luke sorted some sandwiches for the omegas at lunch time. Tom then wanted to speak to Mia separately after they’d all eaten. She felt a bit nervous about it, but Keira assured her he wasn’t as scary as he looked.

‘How have you settled here?’ He asked the young omega. She reminded him of Keira when she had first arrived. Shy and timid, not sure of anything yet. But a sweet natured girl.

‘Really well. I can’t thank you enough for letting me stay.’ She said as she fiddled with her hands on front of her.

‘Well, I am glad to hear that. I want to offer you a permanent place here, if you’d like to stay. I know you have bonded with Charlie and he is itching for me to make it official. So, this is your official offer.’ Tom smiled.

‘Really? Like… forever?’ Mia asked, eyes wide.

‘Yes, forever.’ Tom nodded.

‘I would love to! Thank you so much!’ She said excitedly.

‘It’s settled then.’ Tom turned to look at the other omegas and at Charlie who was hovering not far from them. ‘Tonight, we should celebrate our newcomer and have a barbecue.’ He called out to them all.

‘YESSSSS!’ Charlie cheered and jumped up in the air excitedly. He quickly regained composure and coughed. ‘I mean, uh, yeah. Great.’

Tom laughed at his enthusiasm, he knew he would be ecstatic over Mia getting to stay permanently.

-

That night, Keira was a bit nervous once again before going outside. It was like a wave of nausea overcame her before she stepped through the doorway. But once more, once she was outside she was ok.

Tom stuck close to her that evening during the barbecue, but she was comfortable enough mingling about with the others.

After eating, Charlie managed to take Mia aside. He reached out and took her hands, both of them feeling a connection shoot through them, making their skin tingle where they touched.

‘I was wondering… Would you like to move in… with me? And uhh… Be mine?’ He asked, hopeful. A little nervous at the same time.

Mia’s face lit up completely. ‘I would love to.’ She nodded and bit her lower lip nervously.

Charlie’s face lit up as well, relieved and overjoyed that she said yes.

He reached up and cupped her face before leaning in and pressing a chaste kiss to her lips.

He’d certainly not expected to ever find an omega, never mind at this point in time. But he could not be happier that he had.

[bringmetolife-pwff]

Part One : Chapter Twenty - Nine - Families Coming Together

February 2008

It was now February 1st and William as well as Eric had some leave time in the military to make it back home.  It also meant that it was thirteen days until Evelyn's twenty-fifth birthday.  

The couple had decided that this week they would have both of their families meet officially, without the hassle of running like chickens in different directions.  They had decided to meet up an hour before they had their families meeting up.  

Evelyn had decided to dress up nice for the happy occasion and wore her favourite cowl neck jumper which was a tan a colour and paired with black legging pants and black heels with a red sole from Christian Louboutin.  Her hair was down straight and she wore a bit more makeup than she usually did for the special occasion.  She hoped that it went well and was excited to see how everyone would get along.    

"Can you believe that we've been dating for seven months?" William asked her as she handed him a cuppa tea.  

"I know," Evelyn smiled at him.  "Best seven months of my life so far."

"Mine as well," he brought a hand up to his heart.  "Evelyn, I love you," he told her as he looked into her blue-grayish eyes.

"I love you too," she said back with complete certainty.

"Really?"

"Yes," she exclaimed with a laugh as she walked toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him closer to her.  "Completely.  I feel like in a sense I've always loved you.  I've just been too afraid to admit it," she told him feeling shy as she felt her ears burning up from blushing.  

They had been dating for seven months now and the two of them couldn't be happier.  Of course, they were slightly bummed that they couldn't be with the other more - but with Evelyn's busy career and William's military career it made it slightly impossible.  Therefore, they cherished the times they do get to be with each other which was more than the normal military guy in a relationship.

He brought her closer to him as they made out before they left.

*

They went on through the day with smiles on their faces, knowing how the each other really truly felt about the other.  They felt at peace knowing that and therefore the experience of having their families blend together for the first official time.

Unfortunately Harry wasn't home to make the meeting lighter and make some jokes but the couple was okay with it.

Evelyn had discussed with her family beforehand how to greet the Royal family.  That the women should curtsy and the men bow their heads out of respect to Prince Charles and Camilla.  The Queen would not be joining them today but they were okay with that.  In a way, they welcomed that as it would be a wee bit less stressful for her family.  Evelyn tried calming down her parents, especially her mum, who seemed to be a bit of a nervous wreck weeks leading up to this day.

"Has your mum calmed down a bit?" William asked his girlfriend as she drove to her parents home.

They had decided that since they were still pretty under the radar of the world that they should meet in private.  Not in some other place where they could easily be recognised by the public or paparazzi.  Charles and Camilla thought it was a lovely idea and only wanted her family to be comfortable.

"I think she has," Evelyn told him as she turned left.  "Now she's talking about how excited she is to meet your dad and Camilla."

"Good," William nodded his head.  "She has no reason to be worried.  They already like her based from what they saw at the concert.  All they care about is that she's welcomed me into your family."

"See, I tried telling her that but now I'm thinking you should have been the one to talk to her."

He laughs and shakes his head.  If he were being honest - he was quite excited about this meeting and had been looking forward to it since he had first talked to Evelyn about it.  It was actually her idea with wanting the four parents to meet.  He wanted it to be on her timing not wanting to rush her at all especially with how her last relationship ended.  William respected his girlfriend and loved how much she had grown since the beginning of their relationship.  

"I love your parents, especially your mum.  She's great.  They must really love me if they're allowing you to date me."

"All they care about is how well you treat me and they know you treat me very well," she leaned over and kissed him when they stopped at a red light.

His RPO, Paul, was also with them but he was in a separate car behind them wanting to give them their privacy on the way over.  He trusted Evelyn and so did the Royal family.  At the beginning of their relationship - the family had done an extensive background check on her as well as her family.  She hadn't known it at the time but had found out about it a couple of weeks into them being only friends.  She knew from William that wasn't uncommon especially with a family as prominent and well-known as his.  Prince Charles' and Camilla's RPO's would be with them as well making sure the place was well secured for them that no harm would come to them from any outsiders that might cross the well-gated home.  

*

After finally making it to her parents home, she and William got out of her car as they made their way into the home.  But not before Paul had done his search making sure it was clear which it was.  

It wasn't because Paul didn't trust the Bennett family.  It was because he didn't trust it was because he didn't trust outsiders.  He knew being a protection officer and also being in the Special Forces to always think about everything and always stay focused.  To never assume that anyone has good intentions and stay alert.  

Paul was very loyal to the Royal family and felt it was an honor to serve them, especially Prince William.

"All clear," Paul alerts the couple to which they thank him and enter her parents home.

"Thanks Paul," William thanked his protection officer as he smiled and the couple entered the familiar home.

William loved her parents home.  Although it was very big, her parents made it warm and inviting.  They didn't make it cold.  The Christmas decorations were gone and the decorations from before were back up.

Bran, the english pointer, came running through and almost ran into William he was so excited.  Will's let out a laugh and bent down to pet the old dog.  One thing William had missed about being able to come to her parents home was her dog.  They had a very close bond already as the english pointer licked the princes face making him laugh.  Evelyn took some pictures of William and Bran together before they went into the kitchen where she knew her mum might be.

The couple had brought a dessert that Evelyn made as she sat it down on the counter and hugged her mum.  William's pa and Camilla weren't there yet and they had a few moments to chat with her family before the meeting.

"William," Natasha greeted the boy who had stolen her daughter's heart with a smile.  "So good to see you again," she said as they hugged and kissed on both cheeks.

"Natasha, always a pleasure.  How've you been?"

"I've been well, thanks.  Just making sure everything is all right for your father and Camilla.  And you?"

"I can't complain.  I've been well.  Everything looks great."

"Thanks.  I hope Charles and Camilla will like it."

"They will love it.  Remember they are mainly coming to meet you all.  The food is secondary."

"I know, I know," Natasha smiled at the young prince.  "Why don't you go into the living room and have a chat with Evelyn's siblings?"

"Actually is Peter here?  I wanted to speak to him."

"Of course," Natasha nodded her head.  "He's in his study."

"Thanks.  I'll be back, darling," William told his girlfriend as he looked down at her with a small smile on his face and placed a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Okay," she smiled back as she watched him walk out and in search for her father.  "I wonder what he has to talk to dad about?"

"No idea," Natasha shrugged her shoulders.  "But whilst they are chatting d'you want to help me set up the table along with Vivienne?"

"'Course," she nodded her head and grabbed some silverware and plates as well as napkins to put on the table.  "You look beautiful, mum."

Evelyn complimented her mum as she was helping her set the table.  Natasha's blonde hair was down straight as she had on a bit more makeup on than she normally did.  

"Thank you, my sweet girl."

*

"Hello, Pa," William greeted his father and then Camilla.

William didn't like Camilla for the longest time, knowing that this woman was the reason his parents marriage didn't work out.  But then he had learned that his parents marriage was an arranged marriage and not one where they truly loved each other.  Where it was completely natural.  Not like him and Evelyn.  William had his hand on Evelyn's lower back after she greeted Charles and Camilla as her family was now greeting them and she stepped back, allowing them their time.

They had started to curtsy to the prince and duchess but Charles waved his hand and laughed with his rosy cheeks becoming more obvious.

"Please, don't curtsy to us.  At least in private.  Although, I must say, Natasha - that was a very good curtsy indeed."

"Thank you," she blushed at the princes' comment.  "I've been practicing."

"Well, I can certainly tell."

"And your dress is beautiful," Camilla told the mum.  "May I ask where you bought it?"

"Oh thank you!  It's actually one of Victoria Beckham's designs that she gifted me after my husband designed one of David's tuxedos for an event."

"Lovely," the duchess smiled.  "And how do you do?" Camilla asked Peter.

"Very well, ma'am," Peter greeted the duchess with his charming smile.

Evelyn always thought that her dad was handsome.  It seemed the older he got the more handsome he was.  It seemed as though her dad charmed everyone as Camilla herself had red blushed on her cheeks and laughed to cover it up.  Evelyn's other siblings then greeted the prince and duchess as Mia and Jake along with their twins Samuel and David were there as well.

After they all greeted each other, they headed over to the dining table as Natasha, Evelyn and Vivienne had put the food down on the table allowing everyone to get what they wanted themselves.  

"So Peter, any plans for a new collection anytime soon?" Charles asked with small talk wanting to know more about Peter and his business.

"I am actually releasing a new cologne coming out in May.  I took a step back from releasing so much as I used to and only release new items when I feel like it.  I let Evelyn fill in those gaps with her business."

"Very nice," Charles replied with a smile.  "Well I wish you nothing but success.  You'll have to let me know when you release it so that we can attend."

"I will.  I'll even send it to you so that you can try it out if you would like?"

"I would love that," Charles smiled at Peter.

Natasha had made quite a bit of food as Mia and Vivienne had brought over some things as well. They had a buffet of sorts that had toad in the hole, fish and chips as well as bangers and mash.  Evelyn had made knickerbocker glory which was a layered ice cream sundae that is served in a tall conical glass and she also made jam roly-poly for those who didn't want ice cream.  

Through out dinner Charles and Camilla as well as Evelyn's family started to be more familiar with the other and grew more and more interested in each other.  Jake found out that the Royal family loved to hunt and Charles offered to have Jake and Peter join them some time as well as Evelyn to which they were delighted to.  

*

At one point through out the meeting, David went and sat on Charles' lap making the room be quiet for a moment.

"David get down, you can't -" Mia started to say.

"It's quite alright dear," Charles put a hand up to calm Mia's worries.  "And how old are you?"

"Four," he exclaimed and held up four fingers for the prince making him smile and laugh.

"Hey David," Evelyn gets the attention of her little nephew.  "Why don't you tell him when your birthday is."

"March fifth."

"Really?" Charles asks intrigued as though he was faking a thinking face.  "Well, I'd say we have to do something for both yours and Samuel's birthday.  How about that?"

"Yeah!" the twins exclaimed making Charles and Camilla chuckle.

"Oh you really don't have to do anything," Mia said not wanting them to feel obligated.

"Nonsense.  You all are family now.  And we love little kids so it seems only logical we would throw a party for them.  Would you think so?"

"Don't argue with him, Mia, because he won't give in," Evelyn tells her speaking from experience.

"Okay," Mia smiles at the prince.  "Thank you.  That's so incredibly kind of you both."

"It's our pleasure."

*

"How've you been dear?  Since the tabloid article..." Charles asked Evelyn in private as they were sitting out back and looking out onto the sun set.

"I've been all right," she shrugged her shoulders and tried to muster the best smile she could but Charles could see right through.  "It was hard the morning after but it helped when Harry came over and provided me comfort."

"Ah yes, such a great boy.  You two seem as though you have a very close relationship."

"We do," she nodded her head.  "Both of your sons are great."

"Thank you, I appreciate that dear," he told the blonde and patted her hand in comfort.  "D'you mind if I ask what happened that night?  I understand it's not my place to ask but I have been asked about it quite a lot recently what I think of it and I would just like to get some input on what happened."

"It's all right," Evelyn nodded her head in agreement to the prince.  "I'm okay with talking about it now."

And so she told him.  The prince had let her speak and say what had happened that night.  She told him how wonderful of a friend Harry and the girls were to her and that she eventually told William one night and how absolutely gutted he was.  How he wished he was there to protect her more and that it made him slightly nervous for when they do come out as a couple to the rest of the world.  At the end he gave his input on what he thinks about the whole thing which was quite helpful to Evelyn since he had been in her shoes before.  But not in the same way.  

All in all it was a lovely evening and by the end of night the two families even became friends.  Charles and Camilla gave them their personal mobile numbers to ring them in case they were ever in any trouble or wanted to get together as well.  

*

"How do you think it went?" William asked his girlfriend as they were now back at her place.

"Awkward at first but got better as the day went on," she nodded her head with a smile on her face.  "What did you think?"

"I thought the same.  I think some people have a hard time of trying to be normal around my family and I.  But once they get past the titles and the pleasantries - it makes it easier to just treat us normal."

"I think it helped that Charles and Camilla ended up relaxing later on," she told him as she ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes at the comforting feeling, loving it.  "My family likes to get a little wild at times and it was lovely seeing how your pa was with the twins."

"Your family?  Wild?" William joked they were sitting on her sofa.

"Shut up," Eve pouted knowing he was joking.  "Can you stay the night tonight or do you need to go back to your place?"

"I can stay the night," he told her as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers.  "God I love you."

"I love you too."

--

Chapter 30 is going to be a special one :)  Sorry for the lateish update.  Last Saturday was my birthday and I started school this week for college.  Please be patient with me as I'm not sure when the next time I can post will be but I try writing through out the week.  hope you all are doing well! thought they might as well say 'i love you' in chapter 29.  Also I have 11 more chapters left of Part 1 to write maybe 10 if I decide to not have 40 chapters.  

[soft-baby-dobrik]

dibs // david dobrik

a/n: wow i’ve been gone forever. i promise i’ll try and write more and not get too caught up in my reality lol

summary: dom flirts with you a lot and david gets jealous.

masterlist

requests are open

follow my instagram (david page) <3

Becoming part of the vlog squad friend group was pretty simple. You were a little more reserved around them since you were new to the group, and they loved that. It made for more reactions for the clips. Although, you were newer, everyone had taken a liking to you. Especially Dom. While you weren’t as innocent, more so as quiet, Dom had a heightened attraction to you, especially since you were so hard to get. To you, Dom was an attractive guy, but sleeping around wasn’t your thing and you made that known to him on multiple occasions. Of course that did not stop Dom’s advances. You were someone who did not worship him or jump on the opportunity to sleep with him immediately, and he wanted to conquer you.

Little did he know, you had your eyes on someone else anyway, so truly he had no chance. David was the one you caught yourself glancing at when sitting around. His laugh could fill the entire room and your heart. The attraction was there for you instantly, but the more you hung around him, the more your heart pounded and your cheeks would heat up as he looked at you. He has the most mood-changing smile. His smile turned into your smile. The cruel reality that he was not interested in you was there, yet your feelings grew.

Keeping your feelings a secret was your top priority. It had to stay a secret so you wouldn’t lose friendships and embarrass yourself. Only one person you confided in and that was Corinna. With opposing personalities, you two were a great pair from the start. Both of you kind hearted and sweet, but you were just a little more reserved and awkward than she. Also, she was not an idiot. You practically drooled over David whenever he was around. She had told you to say “fuck it,” and admit your crush to David, but you refused to.

“It would just ruin everything,” you groaned, throwing your head back down on the couch and squinting your eyes.

“Or, it could start something,” she bit back, pursing her lips at your defiance.

You ignored her and continued on with watching your TV show. 

Most days were the same, consisting of you attending school and doing school work and later hanging out with whoever invited you along anywhere. When a text popped up on your phone from David, you were slightly tingly. On many occasions David was the one who invited you to hang out, but you knew it was just him being friendly and most likely needing footage. Within seconds, your fingers were flying across the keyboard saying that “yes” to his offer of hanging out. He responded back in seconds saying to meet him at Alex and Dom’s place. Easily, you changed out of your pajama pants into leggings and left your house and headed towards your car. Your phone dinged as you drove and listened to music loudly. Glancing down at a red light, you saw it was from Corinna.

Bitch, are you coming to Alex’s?

Quickly you typed back:

lol yes? are you?

Another ding and she replied

Yea, I’ll see you there. Just making sure they weren’t lying to me for some clip shit or whatever lmao

Shaking your head, you continued towards the apartment. Once you pulled into a parking spot and made your way up to the apartment, you knocked on the door. Alex opened it and gave you a smile.

“Hey, y/n,” he greeted, sweetly.

“Hey,” you smiled back, walking into the apartment as he made room for you to enter. As you walked towards the living room, you saw Dom, Corinna, and David lounging on the couches. No camera was in sight, but who knew where it was. It had to be close by like always.

“Hey, babe,” you smiled at Corinna and went over to lean down and hug her. She grinned back at you as you plopped down next to her.

“Hey, babe,” Dom greeted, grinning, teasing.

“Hello, Dom,” you sighed, smiling at him to show you didn’t really mean any harm by it.

“You look nice,” he continued, moving from next to David, to closer to you. Even though you didn’t necessarily want the compliment from him, you couldn’t stop your cheeks from heating up. “Really nice,” he continued once again, eyeing you up and down. 

“Too bad she’s my bitch,” Corinna butted in, leaning towards you.

“She could be mine,” Dom smiled at you.

“Like the other sixteen you have right now?” David added, raising an eyebrow.

“I would drop them all for, y/n,” Dom said back.

“How flattering,” you laughed, shaking your head.

“So are we needed for anything or are we actually just hanging out?” Corinna asked as Alex entered the room.

“He probably needs some shit, just wait,” Alex responded, monotone, flopping down on the couch next to me. I shot him a smile and he gave me the same.

“I mean, if you do need some footage, David, you could just record y/n and I making out,” Dom offered, as if it was an actual possibility. You laughed, loudly. There was no other way to deal with Dom’s continuous flirtation other than to laugh. David’s eyebrows scrunched as he inhaled sharply.

“Don’t need that,” David said, with annoyance.

“She laughed, so she may be about it. That would be good clickbait,” Dom countered, really trying to make this possible.

“I think David is okay on footage,” you responded, shaking your head once again. “And if we aren’t doing anything, can we at least watch a movie?” you added, looking around.

“Only if you’re watching it in my room,” Dom responded first.

“Jesus, Dom, cut it out,” Alex groaned. “Yes, a movie, out here.” Then, he looked at Dom, clearly over the game.

“But, y/n,” Dom murmured, “It would be a lot more fun just you and me in my room.” He turned to look at you with a smirk. 

“Dom, shut the fuck up,” David said, not in his normal, joking manner. “She says no to ever sort of advancement, just let it go, shit,” David mumbled. Everyone glanced over at David and then towards you.

Dom being his usual bothersome self, continued on, “You don’t know, she may say yes this time.” 

“Doubtful,” Corinna said, not amused. 

“I mean you’d be surprised, a lot of girls just can’t resist,” Dom winked at you. You rolled your eyes before pushing yourself up off the couch.

“Dom, can you just stop?” you murmured, snuggling into your cardigan as you began to put your shoes on.

“Only if you give me a kiss,” Dom grinned and you shook your head, grabbing your bag. 

“I’m gunna go, I’ll see ya later,” you mumbled. Dom was unfazed and Corinna gave you sad eyes, feeling bad for you already leaving.

“I think I’m gunna go, too,” David said, standing up. 

“Love you,” you said to Corinna before waving at Alex and glaring at Dom who just blew you a kiss. You walked towards the door and heard David say his goodbyes. As you made it to the door, you head David’s rushed footsteps.

“Hey,” he called, as you walked out the door. He followed out quickly and shut the door. “I’m sorry I invited you here.” His eyes looked down at you as you shifted awkwardly.

“I mean, it’s okay, you can’t help what Dom does,” you shrugged.

“I know, but you just deserve someone who means those things he’s saying. Not just wanting to fuck you,” he awkwardly said with a nervous smile.

“Um, thank you?” you responded, equally as awkward. “I’ll see you later,” you murmured, hugging him quickly before going to your car, blushing furiously.

The ride home, you listened to music loudly and happily and heard your phone ding at least three times with messages. Once you pulled into the driveway, you looked down to see all of them were from David.

Hey, I’m sorry again.

Did you wanna come by later? I’m having some people over to hang out. The usuals

You don’t have to, but you’re welcome to :)

Quickly, you typed back and said you would be there. He told you to come over at nine and you rushed inside to see you had enough time to lay down and take a nap. He sent one last message saying it was casual, of course, and to dress comfy. You smiled before laying down. Another ding came from your phone, but this time from Dom:

I’ll see you later tonight, bb ;)

Groaning, you locked your phone and closed your eyes. Why couldn’t David flirt with you instead of Dom?

After your nap, you took a shower and got ready quickly. Leggings and a crop tank and cardigan and some Vans was what you threw on after getting ready. You texted David saying you were on the way and began to drive to David’s house. Where you lived wasn’t too far form David’s place, so you arrived pretty quickly. When you pulled up, there was no one in the driveway. Shrugging it off, you headed towards his front door. After ringing the doorbell, David opened the door for you with a shy smile.

“Hey,” he said, hanging onto the door.

“Hi,” you smiled back walking through the entrance. “Did I beat everyone here?” you questioned, seeing no one.

“Uh, yes,” he responded, awkwardly. You nodded as you followed him towards the living room. Trips to David’s house weren’t in a big quantity. As you waited, you laid down on the couch to see alcohol on the table and over in the kitchen. Criminal Minds was on the TV and you curled up, watching. David shuffled towards the couch you were on and sat next to you. There was a comfortable silence as you both watched the show. Your heart pounded as he moved a couple times and suddenly, his fingers were playing with your hair. Thankfully, you didn’t flinch. If you did, you were scared he would have stopped. He was so gentle as he played with the ends, and twirled pieces. From where you were, you couldn’t see him and hoped he wasn’t able to see the flush on your cheeks. Your eyes were trained on the TV but you were not even paying attention. 

“Your hair is so soft,” he whispered, continuing to mess with it.

“Thank you,” you murmured, scared any sort of movement or sound could ruin the moment. Just as luck was, the doorbell rang and David shot off the couch and to the door. Sighing, you got up and grabbed a bottle of wine and began to drink. Dom, Alex, Zane, and Todd all barged through the door and grinned at the alcohol. David followed behind and seemed a little irritated with them, which was weird.

“There’s my girl,” Zane smiled. You grinned right back at him and ran over to give him a hug. Dom hung around you two and even though you were plenty of feet apart, you could smell the weed he had smoked earlier. Zane and you sat down on the couch and began taking shots together. After about four, you let Zane continue the process with Todd. Everyone else filed in randomly. Smiling and feeling dazed, you stalked off to the kitchen to see a couple people you were unfamiliar with and went towards the wine and grabbed a glass. As you sipped on it, you could feel the shots taking over your state. Music played just loud enough so people had to talk louder than normal.

“Hey, babe,” Dom’s flirtatious voice spoke as he came close to you. Sighing, you gulped down the rest of the wine. 

“Dom, how many times do I have to say-” I began but was cut off by Dom’s hand finding a place on my waist.

“That you’re dying to give me a chance?” he grinned, leaning towards you.

You shook your head to signal no and stepped out of his grip. “That I’m not interested,” you corrected.

“Why not?” he pouted, coming closer to you.

“Because, you just wanna fuck me and leave me,” you stated, smiling up at him. “I don’t play those games.”

His hand wrapped around your waist this time and you couldn’t help but laugh for some reason. With the alcohol running through you and his never-ending attempts to sleep with you, somehow turned into humor. Easily, you stepped away from him and found your way into the bathroom. Stepping towards the sink, you inhaled. The alcohol had definitely hit you by now. As you let your eyes close for a second, you heard the door open. “Dom, I swear if you-” you began but cut yourself off when you saw David enter. He shut the door behind him.

“Hey,” he said, looking at you.

“What are you doing in here?” you asked, leaning against the counter. Gulping, you watched as David walked towards you.

“You know how hard it is to see you laugh with Dom? Like really hard since I was the one who had even pointed out how pretty you are,” David paused to look at you. Breathing was becoming hard to do as he came closer. He towered over you as he continued, “I was the one who admitted to having a crush on you. I even told Dom that and he still tries and you let him and it’s fucking infuriating,” his voice was so serious and annoyed and you couldn’t move. David Dobrik was saying all this to you and was touching you. His body was pressed against yours, making you crane up to look at him. “I’m the one who likes you.” Anger wasn’t there so much as irritation. His head dipped down towards yours but he stopped while his hand came to cup your cheek. “I’m the one who’s good for you, not him. I fucking like you,” he finished before pressing his lips against yours. It was a needy kiss. Both him and you needed the kiss. Once he pulled away, he looked down at you.

“I never was interested in Dom. I’ve had a crush on you,” you whispered, feeling the redness in your cheeks and chests and everywhere in your body. Your head was spinning as you admitted it. He tugged on his lower lip with his teeth as he looked at you.

“It honestly annoys me when he flirts with you and I almost want to punch him,” he admitted and it was his turn to blush. David Dobrik punching someone didn’t sound possible, but it truly was when it came to this.

All you could do was stare at him as he looked down at you, his fingers toying with the ends of your hair. Looking into his eyes, you didn’t even notice that you were both leaning towards each other. Once his lips almost touched yours, your eyes fluttered closed and he kissed you again. This time, he pressed your back against the counter and held your waist gently. Suddenly, the door flung open and you both pulled away to see Zane grinning in the doorway. 

“Holy shit! Guys come here!” Zane screamed, giddily and clearly drunk. Blushing, you cuddled into David’s chest and tried to hide from everyone.

“Zane, stop!” David exclaimed, but it was too late. Everyone piled in as much as they could and screamed and hollered at you and David. He wrapped his arms around you, encircling you in the safety of his chest. After the shock wore off, everyone left and you could hear the uproar continue outside the bathroom. Your head was spinning as David pulled away and you whined at the lack of warmth.

“In a way, I’m kind of happy that happened, because now they know that you’re mine,” he said, smiling slightly.

“You didn’t ask me to be,” you pursed your lips at him, knowing if he did you would say yes because it was a stupid point.

Biting his lips, he smiled down at you, “Will you be my girlfriend?” 

“Ask me in the morning again, so I’ll forget about the hangover I’m going to have,” you smiled shyly. He laughed loudly.

“Do you want to go lay down in my room?” he asked, pushing your hair behind your ear. You nodded and followed him out of the bathroom and to his room. Everyone screamed once again and you blushed. Once you reached his room, he tugged you towards his bed. Sitting down, David took off his shoes and then your own before laying down under the blankets. You scrambled towards him and laid down next to him. The room was dark and he tugged you to him. His hands played with your hair as you laid with your head on his chest.

“I’m sleepy,” you murmured, cuddling closer to him.

“Sleep, baby,” David said gently, kissing your forehead.

[ingravinoveritas]

irvinis replied to your post "Among other things...”

@ingravinoveritas Don't you think Michael had time to imagine for a second that this was really an epitaph and David had to say it (regardless of the context in which it was all presented as a joke)? The moment he wipes away his tears. Apparently, this is something very British, but at Michael’s age, after Covid... I don’t think such thoughts did not occur to him.

@irvinis Oh, absolutely. I think it definitely was that very British thing of feeling a lot of powerful emotions and trying to deflect from them with humor. I also wouldn't be surprised if this made Michael think of when he was in New York and very sick with Covid in 2021 and David was checking in on him on a daily basis. Or maybe much more recently, when Michael was ill at the beginning of March and missed several performances of Nye. With Michael being in London, it could be that David was checking in on him again, but this time in person. Bringing Michael tea, or rubbing his shoulders, or sitting close to him in bed and reading as he drifts off to sleep.

I feel like these are the moments that would bring that tear to Michael's eye. The moments that make you think about mortality and who you want there with you when things get really hard. And a eulogy is meant to be delivered by a loved one--someone you're close with, someone who could easily speak for you. Someone who knew you the best. And Michael chose David to be that person.

So yes, I think Michael's tears here were bittersweet. Mostly humor, but with just a tinge of sadness mixed in. And the comfort of knowing that he would never have to worry about a eulogy as long as David was the one giving it...

[t-lostinworlds]

Crush (Ethan Dolan) [1]

A/N: So this is my first ever Dolan Twins fanfic and the first time I’ve written on a second person’s POV so I’m sorry if it isn’t that good 😅😅 I’m still learning this style of writing. Okay so my plan for this fic is that it’s going to be a mini series, I already have part two halfway done but I’ll only post it if you guys are interested so yeah, hope you guys like this one 😊😊

P.S. if you love Shawn Mendes, I write imagines with him on wattpad. but I’ll post some of it here too.

P.P.S. I also accept requests 😊

Summary:  What would happen if the one and only Ethan Dolan found himself crushing on a simple but closed off girl like you? Would he work hard to try and break your walls? Or would everything be too much for him? (loosely based on the song Crush by David Archuleta)

Word Count: 2,035

Masterlist in Bio

-:-:-:-

Part 1

“If you need anything, just let me know.” You gave a genuine smile towards the couple in front of you. “Thank you.” The guy responded, never tearing his eyes off his girlfriend. You nodded and walked away, your lips still curved up into a smile.

You don’t know why but seeing that couple made you feel all tingly inside, like you were watching a scene off of a romantic movie. Yes it made you feel a little bit bitter but the way they looked into each other’s eyes showed just how powerful their love is and how genuine their feelings are.

Just by the look on their faces, you can’t help but feel happy for them even if you barely even know them at all. Their aura is just powerful in a way that their happiness seems to rub off on you a little bit.

I wish I had someone who’d look at me like that. You thought to yourself, casually imagining random romantic scenes in your head.

“Earth to (Y/N)? Hello?” You shook your head and raised an eyebrow at Liv. “What we’re you thinking? I lost you there.” She laughed. “Oh it’s nothing. Just single teenagers stuff.” You shrugged, looking back at the couple, Liv doing the same. She looked back at you with a knowing look.

“Hey, you’ll find the right guy at the right time. You’re still young, don’t stress too much about it. Take it from a woman who has been married for 5 years.” You nodded giving her a soft smile.

Liv is one of your closest friends here in LA, even though she’s 10 years older than you. She’s sort of your mother figure away from home. Living in LA for almost a year now, you still found it difficult to find friends that are the same age as you. Most of them are too fake for your liking.

“Who knows? Maybe that’s the guy.” She added wriggling her eyebrows teasingly and looking back at the front door. You looked behind you and saw the one and only James Charles walking in, accompanied by The Dolan Twins. “Well, at least one of them.” Liv mumbled, realizing there were two guys that looked quite similar.

“Like I have a chance, those guys are famous on YouTube.” You shook your head at her suggestion. “Who said you don’t have a chance? You’re beautiful, kind, smart, talented, hardworking and many more. If I was a guy I’d date you. Hell if I was single I’d definitely date you” She winked, bumping her shoulder with yours, making you laugh. “Thanks Liv.” You answered. “Now go and get their orders, and maybe one of their numbers.” She pushed you in their direction, you rolling your eyes in the process.

You walked towards their table nervously, a pen and a pad in your hands. Good thing the menu is already on the table, making it a lot easier to avoid things from falling off of your grasp and onto the ground which can be very embarrassing, especially in front of the people you look up to. Not going to lie, you’re a fan of both James Charles and the twins. You’ve watched some of their videos and found yourself laughing at home while casually snuggled up in bed. But you don’t want to come off as a crazy fangirl or make it awkward for them so you had to act as casual as possible. After all, they are still normal people; you don’t want to invade their privacy by squealing or asking directly for a picture.

“Hi, good evening, may I take your orders?” You asked courteously, smiling at them, trying your best to stay calm and composed. “Hi sweetie, I would like to get the Italian spaghetti and some onion rings.” James answered, returning the smile. “Same for me.” Grayson smiled sweetly. “How about you E?” he added looking at his twin brother who seemed to be so lost in the moment.

Ethan looked at you in shock and admiration (gif above), awe transformed his face. It may sound pretty dumb since he just saw you for the first time but to him, you look incredibly beautiful that he just can’t seem to take his eyes off of you. He never really thought or even believed about liking someone at first glance but with you, he just felt like a young boy again, crushing on the prettiest girl in school. You are just enticing to him, your energy giving off some kind of spell that left him wanting to know you more.

You didn’t notice him at first since you were so distracted with making sure that you are not going to embarrass yourself in front of them, but when you looked at Ethan, you found him already staring at you. His eyes gleamed with his mouth slightly agape. You nibbled on you bottom lip as you tried your best to contain your giggle, butterflies going haywire in your stomach by his intense stare. The two of you held gazes for a minute but you looked away first when you felt your cheeks heat up.

“E? Ethan? Ethan.” Grayson said firmly, kicking his brother under the table. “Oh, uhm I – uh same for me too.” Ethan shook his head and looked at his brother, slightly annoyed but mostly thankful for bringing him back to reality.

“How about drinks?” you asked, oblivious to the fact that Ethan Dolan just can’t stop looking at you, and being with him for all his life, Grayson noticed his brother’s behavior. He smirked, knowing his brother may or may not have a crush on the waitress. “Water would be fine for me.” James answered, taking notice on how Ethan was acting weird all of the sudden.

“I’ll have a Coke please, and Ethan will have a Coke too.” Grayson added. “Uh, yeah.” Ethan muttered, scratching the back of his head giving you a shy smile. “Okay then, so three Italian spaghettis with onion rings, two Cokes and a glass of water. Anything else?” all of them shook their head no. “I’ll be back in 20 minutes with your food.” You smiled about to walk away.

You paused for a moment contemplating whether you should just say it or not, but you’ve come to a conclusion that this is just a once in a lifetime opportunity. To see the people you’ve idolized in person isn’t really an everyday thing.

You turned back around and gave them a shy smile. “By the way, I just wanted to say I love your videos. James, you’re just so creative in so many ways. You are the one who made me interested in make-up, and you guys are really funny.” You blushed and looked down, overthinking the fact that they may look at you weirdly now.

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Thanks honey.” James said, beaming with joy and gratitude. “Thank you so much. I’m glad you find us funny because sometimes, I don’t.” Grayson joked, giving you that charming smile of his.

“Yeah, thank you so much. We really appreciate it.” Ethan smiled at you admiringly. “You look beautiful by the way.” He added with a side smirk, making you blush. “Thanks.” You answered, not being able to hold his gaze longer than a second as you felt your knees get weaker by his intimidating yet hot look. But as you looked down and fiddled with your fingers, you can still feel him looking at you with an expression that you can’t exactly read.

You have never been the kind of girl who flirts too much. You always come off a little shy when guys talk to you, especially when that guy looks extremely good-looking. He really does intimidate you with that heart-stopping stare of his; pulling off that serious-but-hot-look easily like it’s in his nature. You’ve never really seen someone this handsome in person before, and clearly Ethan Grant Dolan just never fails to catch every girl’s eye, including yours.

“I’ll be back with your food in a few minutes.” You smiled timidly; feeling too exposed by the way his eyes bore into yours. You walked away from the table, handing the paper to the window where the orders would be taken and missing out the conversation that happened between the three.

“Someone’s been acting weird.” James said, raising an eyebrow at Ethan who was busy looking around the restaurant. “Bro, stop looking around for her, you’re too obvious, she’ll be back in a few minutes remember?” Grayson teased, earning a glare from his brother.

“Shut up, I wasn’t looking for anyone. I was just, taking in the details of the restaurant.” Ethan lied, not wanting to admit that he, in fact, was looking for you. “Wait, looking for who?” James asked, already speculating who but still confirming if the person he was thinking was the person the twins were talking about. Grayson gave him a knowing nod, indicating that who James was thinking was correct. “Oh, I see, looking for her huh?” James mocked, wriggling his eyebrows at Ethan.

“I wasn’t looking for anyone.” He said through gritted teeth, getting frustrated with all these teasing. “Look, there she is.” Grayson said, nodding his head towards the direction behind his brother, since they were sitting across from each other. Ethan’s turned his head fast to look behind him, almost giving him a whiplash, only to find no one there. He looked back at his brother who was already laughing his ass out, James shaking his head in disbelief on how Ethan fell for that too easily. “I hate you guys.” He groaned, rubbing his face, irritated by his companions.

“It is confirmed that you, Ethan Grant Dolan, are crushing on the waitress.” James laughed. “No I don’t.” Ethan protested, rolling his eyes. “Yes you do. It’s obvious bro, you’re completely smitten with her.” Grayson giggled.

“Seriously? I just met her. I mean, she’s cute and all but I barely even know her.” Ethan tried again to deny his admiration but he is fully aware that he does have a crush on you, he just doesn’t like to admit it to Grayson and James yet because the thought seems foolish, crushing on a girl that he just saw literally 10 minutes ago.

“Well, if you aren’t shy enough to talk to her and get her number, maybe you can change that.” Grayson shrugged. “I don’t get shy around her.” Ethan mumbled. “Well, you get shy around girls in general.” The younger twin added as he continued to torment his brother. “No, I don’t get shy.” Ethan said firmly.

“He does.” Grayson said to James with a light giggle. “I have to agree with Grayson on that one. You were pretty much stuttering a few minutes ago E.”

“I’ve never been shy my whole life.” Ethan grumbled in his seat, completely annoyed at the fact that Grayson and James were ganging up on him, which was completely unfair. “You really are in denial aren’t you?” James continued, raising an eyebrow at Ethan. “Ethan has a crush, Ethan has a crush.” Grayson sing-songed, pushing his brother over the edge.

“For fucks sake will the both you stop?!” Ethan hissed, making it completely clear that he had enough of it. “Only if you solemnly admit that you have a crush on her.” Grayson pressed, crossing his arms over his chest, feeling proud of himself for finally getting into his brother’s nerves. Ethan shook his head and sighed in defeat, knowing that there is no other way to get these two to shut the hell up. “Fuck you.” He groaned, rubbing his face with his hand in pure annoyance. “So that’s a yes then?” James smirk, an idea boiling up inside his head. Ethan stared at him with an annoyed look.

“A yes it is.” James clapped amusingly, already having a video idea for the future. “Why are you suddenly excited?” Grayson questioned, “Oh, I don’t like that face.” Ethan added. “What face?” James said, smugly.

“You have that ‘I have a plan’ face. I have a bad feeling about this.” He turned to Grayson who was nodding approvingly. “Oh don’t worry sister, you’ll thank me later.” James winked.

[shireness-says]

A Sunlit Night

Summary:  He expects to be in Storybrooke, Maine, just long enough to fix his motorcycle - a few days, maybe a week, at most. But that's before he's enchanted by the local waitress. ~2.3 K. Rated T for mild swearing and some making out. Also on AO3.

A/N: There are so many things I need to be working on right now, but I wrote this instead. It’s a short little 50s-ish AU featuring Killian on a motorcycle, and it would not leave me alone. Special thanks to @snidgetsafan, who encouraged me every step of the way and was an amazing beta. You rock, babe.

Tagging a few folks who have shown interest or I think might like this: @distant-rose, @kmomof4, @branlovesouat, @searchingwardrobes.

He’s a bad influence, they say. He certainly has the look for it, if nothing else - all dark hair and piercing eyes and leather when he comes riding in on his motorcycle. If his goal was to fit in, this isn’t the place to do it - a little nowhere-ville called Storybrooke, Maine, where everyone knows everyone and Killian Jones, with his accent and his rough looks, stands out like a sore thumb. He never intended to stop here, a fact he thinks should be obvious, but his gas tank is empty and there’s a concerning rattle in his bike’s engine and he still doesn’t know where the hell he’s going. It’s supposed to just be a few days’ or a week’s layover in town - just enough time to try and trade his labor at the local garage or gas station in return for parts and a full tank of gas before he goes off, chasing that horizon again.

But then he sees her.

She’s got all the cliché trappings of a good girl - all golden curls and charming smiles as she works her shifts at the town’s 24 hour diner in a uniform that looks far too good on her for something so hopelessly out of date. She’s an angel in disguise, he thinks, sent down to Earth in this absurdly tiny town just to remind him that there are still things in life worth living for.

The angel’s name is Emma, he learns when she brings him a cup of tea he can barely afford. Emma Swan. It’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman, and he’s immediately enchanted in a way that leaves him mutely staring when she asks what he’ll have to eat. Not his finest moment, for certain, especially when he has a reputation to maintain.

(She still brings him a plate of pancakes later, his angel, with syrup and sausages on the side. “Granny’s got a bit of a soft spot for the lonely ones,” she says, and Killian wonders if Emma might have a soft spot for orphans as well.)

He’s only supposed to be in this dead-end town for a few days at most, just long enough to earn the parts and gas he needs and get the hell out of there. But he lingers. He’d say it’s against his conscious will, but Killian knows exactly why he’s lingering, and that reason works everyday at Granny’s Diner. He hasn’t been a romantic man in years - the war eliminating any fanciful tendencies he might have had - but sitting there, watching her breeze between tables and smile at everyone like a treasured friend, he just wants to write pretty words and pretty verses about a pretty girl, forgoing the words of human suffering that have haunted his mind and his pen ever since he was pulled out of the sea and Liam wasn’t.

It’s easy enough to pick up shifts at the local garage. Kilian doesn’t have any formal training in automotive repair, per se, but there’s things you pick up in the war, and engine maintenance is one of them (even if he’s more accustomed to keeping an airplane running than an automobile). David Nolan looks at him with suspicion, but ultimately, he’s a fair man with a big-hearted wife, and that proves enough for him to give Killian a shot. The pay isn’t great, but it’s suitable enough, and money will take you further out here in the country anyways. It should be easy and quick enough to earn enough to fix up his bike and cruise out of town with enough left over for several more tanks of gas.

What’s harder is keeping his earnings when there’s a pretty blonde serving comfort food just down the street who deserves a generous tip. A bad influence like him ought to stay away from a golden goddess like that, but he’s drawn to her in ways he doesn’t have proper words to express. Maybe a younger Killian Jones would have called it fate, but the man he’s become doesn’t believe any more that Fortuna is prone to such generosity. Still, he’s there every evening after the garage closes for a bite to eat, before going back to sleep on the couch in the garage’s office (the most charity he’s willing to accept from the kind Mrs. Nolan). Maybe it’s meant to be - maybe they really are supposed to keep running into one another. But on the other hand, maybe he’s seeking Emma Swan out, and maybe he just likes the way she blushes when he leaves a 50% tip for a ham sandwich and a cup of tea.

It’s probably just a stroke of luck that they both end up in Granny’s one night, alone except for the short-order cook, both plagued by insomnia (and, in Killian’s case, memories he’d rather leave sunken in the cold water of the Atlantic). He likes to watch the stars on nights like this, soothed by the vastness of the universe, but it’s far too cold outside at this time of year in Maine, so he contents himself with sitting as close to the window as the vinyl booth seat will allow, staring at the sky as he waits for his chamomile tea. Normally, he’d prefer rum, but bloody dry counties have left him without stronger recourse.

“You’re the wanderer,” Miss Swan says when she brings his steaming cup, and it’s the nicest description Killian thinks he’s heard for his life at present. It’s a joy to see the way her face unexpectedly lights up at his shy nod. “You have to tell me everything,” she all but demands, sliding into the seat across from him. And in that moment, his heart is lost forever, stolen by a petite angel and tucked into her apron pocket alongside her pens and order pad.

Emma Swan may live in a tiny, nowhere town, Killian learns, but her thoughts are filled with the world at large, and the hope that she’ll one day get to explore every corner of it. She tells him, that first night, of all the places she dreams of seeing, and in return he tells her a bit of how he came to be riding aimlessly through America, of how after soaring through the open skies in the cockpit of his plane, nothing ever compared again. So he had bought the bike upon his arrival in the States, in a vain attempt to replicate that feeling the only way he can.

(He doesn’t tell her that he bought his bike and the ticket to America with the pension granted to him by the government for his brother’s death, doesn’t tell her how he couldn’t bear to be in that country for one day longer, to be thanked for his service and his sacrifice one more time. He doesn’t tell her that he rides in a desperate attempt to forget everything he’s done and everything he’s lost - not yet. That’s a conversation for a later date and some illicit rum.)

Theirs becomes a relationship built on tales of adventure - those he’s experienced and those she dreams of. It’s unconventional, maybe, but it makes her eyes light up in excitement and wonder, and he’ll do anything to see that happen, over and over again. That’s not all there is to it; those beginnings evolve into deeper conversations about how this town is the only family she has and how the sounds of explosions and grinding metal haunt his dreams at night. But that’s how it starts: two people in a diner, talking about how they’d rather be anywhere but here.

(He was only supposed to be here for a few days, a week at most, but the more he talks with Emma Swan, the more Killian Jones wants to never leave her side.)

He’s falling in love with her, he comes to realize over cups of tea and slices of pie and that absurdly sweet hot chocolate concoction she so adores. It’s not nearly as terrifying a realization as he thought it’d be, opening his heart up to someone after resigning himself to life as a loner. There’s still outside forces to contend with - Mrs. Nolan and Granny Lucas may like him, but the rest of the town views him with suspicious eyes, especially if they catch him watching their favorite blonde waitress. David Nolan offers him particularly stern looks on days when Emma brings him lunch down at the garage of her own accord, like Killian’s corrupting her somehow, but Killian learns to deal with it. It’s a preposterous thought anyways, that anything could dim that light, even good-for-nothing drifters with looks too sharp to be safe.

(He still wonders ever day at the fact that she willingly seeks him out. After all, she’s joy and sunlight and everything good; doesn’t she know that he’s a creature better suited for the night and dark thoughts and everything that logic says ought to snuff out her light?)

(But she’s there all the same, his very own saving grace, determined to create starlight in the overwhelming darkness that’s consumed his soul in these past few years.)

Still, he’d never in a million years dare to imagine Emma might reciprocate his tender feelings. She’s a good girl, beloved by an entire town, and Killian’s been around long enough to know that angels like that don’t end up the best girl of guys like him - unknown quantities with a sketchy look about them. In retrospect, there’s probably a lot of signs that he’s missed - lingering hand touches and the way she smiles just that little bit brighter when she sees Killian in their regular booth - but it’s not until she’s kissing the holy hell out of him at her favorite overlook of Storybrooke (and again, looking back, she obviously was asking him on a date, how did he miss all the signs?) that the reality that she might like him too sinks in. It’s not at all what he expected from this evening, but if he’s being honest, it’s everything he’s wanted since the moment he first set eyes on his golden goddess. There’s a sense of inner peace, a rightness, in the way their lips slide together that he’s never felt before, even if they are engaged in an increasingly passionate kiss. In his wistful imaginings, Killian always thought that if he and Emma ever kissed, it’d be a gentle affair, tentative and slow, but Emma continues to take him by surprise, enthusiastically initiating their kiss and diving right in with gusto, fingers grasping his hair, tongue demanding entrance to his mouth instead of requesting it. She jumps in head first, his lass (his lass!), and he loves her for it, really and truly. He only hopes she can tell that he’s all in as well in the way he tries to pull her body just that little bit closer on the blanket. As he carefully slides a hand into those golden curls he’s so enamored of - only the best for his angel, even when she’s making it awfully hard to reign himself in - he can’t help the passing thought that he’d be perfectly content to stay like this forever.

The next weeks are a happy blur of treasured kisses and stolen moments, but their time together runs out before he’d like it to, as he knew it always would. He’s put in enough hours at the garage to fund the replacement parts for his engine and earned a tidy little gas fund to boot. This was always meant to be just a few days - a week at most, but now five weeks have passed, and there’s no putting off the inevitable any longer. Even if Killian is ready to leave Storybrooke, he doesn’t relish the thought of leaving Emma behind. He certainly didn’t come to this one-stoplight town looking for love, but he found it anyway, and it hurts his newly rediscovered heart to even contemplate letting such a precious thing slip through his fingers.

So he doesn’t. There’s not much he can offer Emma - Lord knows she deserves an awful lot more than he can ever hope to give - but her dearest wish is to see the world, and that’s the one thing he can give her. It’ll be rough sometimes, and a motorcycle certainly won’t offer any sort of luxury travel, but Killian knows he was right to ask her when Emma throws her arms around his neck in enthusiastic acceptance. No second guessing; no hesitation; considerably less rational thought than such a decision should require; just an unequivocal yes.

They’ll be back someday, he thinks, when Emma’s gotten her fill of the great wide world she yearns to see. Storybrooke is her home, no matter what wanderlust she feels now; it’s filled with people who love her and have adopted her in their hearts, even if there’s no paperwork to prove it. Killian may not truly fit in Storybrooke, but as Emma’s arms tighten around his waist and her exhilarated laughter rings over the roar of the wind and of the engine, he knows he fits with her. Emma is like the missing half of his soul - the piece that makes him feel like he finally is doing something right for the first time in literal years, the person who gives him direction and makes him feel like he actually belongs somewhere again. He belongs with Emma, and Emma belongs in Storybrooke, so he’ll carve a space for himself in town.

(He’d do anything she asks for the privilege to simply remain by her side.)

That’s a concern for another day, though. Today, there’s just the open road in front of them and tendrils of spun gold whipping in the wind as Storybrooke recedes into the background, smaller and smaller in his side mirrors. There’s no telling where the winds and roads might take them, but he knows they’re both in this for the long haul, and that’s enough for today.

Today, they’ve got the whole world in front of them.

[judediangelo75]

Blast From The Past

MC Friends: David @that-scouse-wizard and KC @kc-needs-coffee 

Yes, I know these songs are more modern, but shhhh and go with it. I love this channel and these videos inspired this story. So deal with it.

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

Malik looked up at the grand castle that was Hogwarts.

He couldn’t believe that he was here. He’s heard all about the school and his old history. Scotland was a beautiful country.

Not as beautiful as his homeland, Barbados, or Uganda, where he goes to school. But beautiful none the less.

‘I wonder if she remembers me,’ he silently wonders as he remember that sweet face of a little girl with the prettiest pair of gold eyes he ever seen.

His old childhood friend goes to Hogwarts when she moved from Barbados after the death of her grandmother. He had a crush on for months before she left.

But he couldn’t admit it. He was too scared to ruin what they had. Plus, they were just kids, it might not have turned into anything serious.

Now they were older, maybe now he had a chance.

He sighed dreamily. He wondered what kind of woman she grew up to be...

No time to find out like the present...

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

Malik was petting the Headmaster’s Phoenix, happy to hear the preens from the majestic bird when he heard a female voice say,

“You called for me, Professor?” He shivered at the sound of her voice. The accent she had a child was gone but he didn’t mind too much. Her voice matured, whilst it was still low, it was still very pleasant to hear.

“Ah, Miss Harris. I want you to meet someone,” Dumbledore greeted with a gentle smile. Urging his heart to calm down, Malik turned around to face his childhood friend.

Wide gold eyes stared into his nearly black eyes.

“Malik?” He smiled.

“Good to see you, Judith...”

-----------

Judith couldn’t believe her eyes. Standing in front of her was her old childhood friend, Malik.

He was one of the kids she used to play with when she was in Barbados in their small village. 

He grew up to be tall, just about the same height as Talbott, she noted with slight annoyance.

His black hair was still in its locs she remembered from his childhood. Though longer, landing around his upper back.

His complexion was rich dark brown. Facial hair was growing along his cheeks and jawline, reminding her very much of her father. He was muscular, seeing how the plain white he wore left nothing to imagination.

Her old friend grew to be a handsome young man. 

“Ha! Look at you all grown up,” she chuckled, playfully punching his stomach.

“Takes one to know one,” he sassed back with a smirk. He was quite serious. His childhood crush grew up to be a vision.

Her brown black long locs reached her shapely hips. The tips was dyed faintly to match the color of her eyes.

Her face lost all traces of baby fat, revealing delicately sharp features that resembled her father. Her body was tone and curvy, fitting her short stature. A purple sleeveless turtleneck and black tights hugged her body with black combat boots and a familiar shark tooth necklace around her neck to finish her look. 

She was breathtaking...

“This is some surprise, Professor,” she said, turning to the Headmaster.

“I’m glad you like it, Miss Harris. Mr. Coleman here is visiting our school for awhile. Since he said he knew you, I was wondering if you can be his guide and show him around Hogwarts.” Judith smiled and nodded at the old wizard.

“Of course, Professor Dumbledore!”

Malik silently cheered. It’ll be just like old times, and hopefully by the end of his visit, he can win her heart...

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

“Judith, you’re late,” David said as he watch his dear friend approach with another guy he didn’t recognize.

“Oh, relax will you? Professor Dumbledore called me to his office, talking about a ‘surprise’,” she replied with an eye roll. David raised an arched brow and nodded toward the tall male that was staring at his unknowing friend with a lovestruck expression.

“So I’m assuming this guy is the surprise,” he deadpanned, not impressed.

“Yup! Malik, I would like you to meet one of my best friends, partner in crime, and partially my little brother, David. David, this is my childhood friend from my time in Barbados, Malik,” she chirped. 

The dude, Malik, seem to snap out of it and looked at David with a megawatt smile. 

“Nice to meet you, David,” he said, holding his hand out. David looked at the limb as if it offended him before taking it.

‘Play nice, unless you want a black eye curtesy of Judith...’ he thought to himself as he shook Malik’s hand.

“Likewise.” was all he said. He’s normally not protective of his best friend, he knows she can hold her own no problem. But he doubt she can recognize that her childhood friend isn’t looking at her a friend should.

But then again, Judith has always been a little slow when it comes to realizing a guy likes her that way. 

‘Guys see me as a sister or just friend” my ass...’ David mentally sassed. His best friend was beautiful, it would take a dead man not to notice. 

Sadly, Malik was very much alive to notice...

“Introductions aside, ready for some good ol’ fashion spar,” he said, wanting to ignore Malik.

And get Judith away from him.

Judith didn’t hesitate move away from Malik to stand alongside with David with a toothy grin.

“Absolutely...”

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

Malik didn’t like how Judith seemed to immediately forget about him after introducing him to David. But he can’t find in him to mad as he watch the spar between the two friends.

When they left the Headmaster’s Office, she told him about the different houses and how she was a Hufflepuff. He heard about the Hufflepuff House, the one the seem to be a pushover. Whilst the other House Founders valued a specific thing about a student, Helga Hufflepuff seem to welcome all. Hufflepuffs were seen as weak because of their kindness.

But clearly that wasn’t the case as she watch the two fought. Judith’s movements were quick and fluid. Never putting too much in move that would overextend herself. The guy David was pretty good too.

Judith did say he was also a Hufflepuff as they came over here...

“HA! Victory!” Malik snapped out of his thoughts as he saw David has Judith pinned. Both them were sweaty and laughing.

“Alright, alright. You win, now get off of me,” Judith laughed. Malik inwardly sighed dreamily. 

He always loved the sound of her laugh.

David crawled off his friend and pulled her up by her forearm.

“Wanna get some food? I don’t know about you, but I’m hungry,” David said. Judith grinned and nodded.

“Oh definitely!, But I could use a shower first, I’m all sweaty and gross,” she said. David nodded understandingly, last thing he wanted was to sit with Merula and for her to complain how sweaty he was.

“So where to next?” David and Judith turned to find Malik standing next to them.

“Oh! Sorry for ignoring you, Malik. We usually tend to get caught up in our training. We’re heading to the Hufflepuff Common Room. I can fill you in some places along the way,” Judith said bashfully. Malik chuckled at his cute crush.

“Not a problem, Juju,” he said. The side eye she gave him made him laugh.

“All these years and you’re still calling me that infuriating nickname,” she grumbled. Malik smirked and hugged her.

“It’s a quality nickname.” 

“Alright, alright. Let’s go, we still need a shower and get to the Great Hall. I want food,” David said, not liking Malik touching his friend.

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

Malik sat in the homey Common Room, awaiting for Judith and David to reappear. 

Malik can tell that David did not like him at all. He was polite, sure, but he didn’t like him. Malik was struggling to figure out why when a group of students walked in.

There was a total of four students. Two boys and two girls.

“Who are you,” the fair skin boy asked. He was young with gray eyes and dark brown hair.

Malik gave a charming smile to the group. If they were in here, then they had to be Judith’s House mates. Best to give a good first impression.

“I’m Malik Coleman, you are...”

“Diego Caplan, best duelist in Hogwarts,” the tall tan boy said. Malik hummed, he would like to test that claim for himself when he gets the chance.

“Hi, I’m Penny Haywood,” the blonde chirped. Bubbly and friendly, fitting for the Hufflepuff House.

“Cedric Diggory,” the fair boy said with a wave. Shy but confident. He can tell he’s the youngest of the group. It wouldn’t surprise him if Judith mothered the boy, she always had a maternal spirit within her.

“Wotcher! I’m Tonks,” the pink haired girl said. Malik can partially sense the mischief coming from her. 

“Nice to meet you all,” Malik smiled.

“Likewise! But, uh, if you don’t mind us asking... what are you doing here,” Tonks asked. Before Malik could give an answer, Judith’s voice called out.

“Hey guys! I see you met Malik,” she said as she walked up to group.

“Wotcher, Judith! David. You know this guy,” Tonks asked. Judith nodded.

“Malik is my childhood friend from when I used to live in Barbados,” she supplied to her friends. A series of ‘oh’s sounded.

“That’s cool, does Talbott know about him being here,” Cedric asked. Malik furrowed his brows at the name.

Who was Talbott?

And was that a blush on Judith’s cheeks? 

“No, not yet. I was gonna to introduce him to Malik in the Great Hall during lunch,” she replied. Malik narrowed his eyes at her.

Now that he was really looking at her, Judith looked good.

Really good.

A sweet white sundress hugged her figure with gold sandals on her feet. Her locs were maneuvered in a high, neat bun with a few gold accessories attached to a couple of them. Small gold hoop earrings and a heart key necklace around her neck were her accessories.

‘Is this what an angel looks like...’ he faintly wondered. He didn’t notice the glare David and Diego were sending his way. Nor the disapproving stare of Penny. Or Tonks and Cedric’s nervous expression.

Apparently, neither did Judith.

“To the Great Hall,” Judith asked.

A series of agreements sounded off amongst the group as the left the Common Room.

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

Malik looked around the massive room with awe, trying to take in everything at once. The name “Great Hall” was definitely a fitting title for the place.

Judith quickly walked ahead of him with David on her heels. He quickly followed so he didn’t lose them in the massive crowd. She was walking towards a specific table which had a girl and boy as their occupants. 

The pair looked up to find the trio approaching.

“Hello, little bird,” the guy greeted as Judith sat next to him. Malik frowned.

Little bird? Judith rarely let anyone just nickname-

Judith took the guy’s hand with a gentle smile.

“Hey, Talbott...” Malik unconsciously curled his hands into fists, a few joints popping. 

There was no way in hell that-

“Who’s the tall blokehead standing at our table?” Malik turned his attention to the girl, who had David sitting next to her. Malik took a seat next to Judith, feeling a bit weird for being the only one still standing.

Was that a smirk on David’s face?

“Oh!” Judith mentally slapped her forehead. 

Good Gods, where are her manners?

“Talbott, Merula, this is Malik. He’s my childhood friend from before I moved to Europe. Malik, meet Merula, David’s girlfriend. And Talbott, my boyfriend,” Judith introduced.

My boyfriend...

Malik felt his stomach twist into knots as his heart cracked. His crush was already taken by someone else. But just who was this person that seem to captivate Judith’s heart?

 He studied Judith’s “boyfriend” with narrowed eyes.

Slicked by chestnut brown hair that gradients to a dirty blonde color. Dark skin, just a shade or two lighter than Judith. Sharp angular features that remind Malik of a bird. Sharp red eyes regarding him curiously. He was in his class robes, which where outlined in blue.

‘Ravenclaw...’ he thought, remembering the rundown Judith gave him earlier...

Talbott struck him as the loner type, who much rather spend more time in the library than with other people. Why in the seven hells was Judith with this guy?

‘Judith is way more free-spirited than this guy. She was able fight guys with no issue! The Judith I remembered loved to sing and dance. She was open with her emotions. They probably have nothing in common. She deserves someone better... someone like me...’

Talbott didn’t like the way Malik was looking at him. He saw the look on his face when Judith introduced him as her boyfriend. 

Heartbroken.

Talbott knew what that meant. Malik liked Judith.

A lot.

And by the looks of it, she doesn’t realize his feelings. 

And now, his girlfriend’s old friend was looking him up and down as if he was deeming him worthy of him. Talbott was no fool.

He can see it clear as day, Malik didn’t approve, not the slightest.

Talbott looped an arm around his little bird’s waist, which didn’t go unnoticed by Malik. He wasn’t one for PDA, but he was going to make this clear. Red eyes met near black ones with a single message.

‘Back off, she’s mine.’

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

David can see the tension between the two young men across from him. He couldn’t wait to see the look on Malik’s face when he saw that Judith was in a happy relationship and will never return his feelings.

But now, judging by the death glares being sent between the two, he wasn’t so sure. He half-expected Malik to back down.

Clearly not.

His girlfriend found it a little amusing. 

“How does Harris not notice the tension brewing when she’s literally sitting in the middle of it, is beyond me,” she snickered softly. David couldn’t defend his friend since she seem completely oblivious to everything around her as she ate.

“So, how long will you be here, Malik,” Merula asked. David wondered the same.

“Just a week,” he answered, taking a bit of his sandwich. David groaned internally.

‘Great, a week of jealousy. Just what I needed...’ he thought.

“That’ll be plenty of time to show you around. I can’t wait to show you what our school has to offer,” Judith said with a gentle smile. Malik mentally sighed at the sight of it.

“Yeah, I’m sure we’ll have a great time. You know what would be really great,” Malik asked rhetorically. Judith raised a brow.

“Some dancing, like the old days,” Malik grinned. David, Merula, and Talbott saw the way Judith’s brows shot up to her hairline with a slight blush dusting her cheeks.

“O-oh... I don’t know... That’s... not really something seen in here,” Judith said with an awkward laugh. That’s something Judith would do in the comfort of her own room. People here were more... stiffer for lack of a better word.

“Oh c’mon! It’ll be like the old days, plus you can show everyone something new,” he winked. Talbott glared, tugging Judith closer.

Judith blushed harder the longer she thought about it. Not even Talbott knew about that type of dancing she could do.

She was a bit embarrassed by it, she has no clue what kind of reaction she’ll get from him.

‘It’s my final year, not like everyone will remember this... Plus, it’ll be fun to have my old dance partner again...’ she thought.

“Sure, it’s my final year. I don’t see why not,” Judith finally said. Malik grinned.

‘Score...’

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

After going everything, which took about two days, Malik and Judith starting practicing the dances Malik had in mind.

Malik decided to make this a mini show in the Courtyard. Judith appeased to this, not like things can remain vacant for long since people at Hogwarts were forever nosey.

So the pair were gonna draw a crowd, whether she liked it or not. 

Judith even recruited Andre to some outfits. Malik requested dashikis for the both of them, something that definitely intrigued the style wizard. But only for a few seconds before he saw the way Malik was staring at his Quidditch mate.

AKA one of his mate’s girlfriend.

Nonetheless, Andre said he’ll do it.

Judith had to her powers as Legilimen to look into Malik’s mind for the dances they were doing. She liked the songs, the beats were very energetic and upbeat. Just like she remember from her childhood. Though some of them she blushed at seeing how of the moves were a little...

What’s the word?

Close?

She just hoped she doesn’t get detention for scandalizing any of the younger witches and wizards. 

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

Talbott hasn’t seen much of his girlfriend ever since Malik arrived and since they practiced for their dance show in the Courtyard. 

And Talbott couldn’t stand it. 

“Ugh, bloody hell, I can’t stand him,” Talbott snarled as he paced in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Katriona stared at the tall wizard from the couch.

She didn’t need to ask who he was referring to. She met Malik and she wasn’t too impressed by him either. But she does think Talbott was overreacting a bit.

“Talbott, stop pacing or else you’ll burn a hole into the floor. I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think it is,” Katriona said sternly. Anxious red eyes looked at her.

Katriona knew that Talbott felt a bit insecure when it came to Malik. He was Judith’s childhood friend after all. And Malik liked Judith the same way Talbott does. Judith accepting to dance with him probably served as a remainder of how different they were. 

Talbott would attend a dance when she was there, but most of the time, he would avoid it. He’s not much of a social person nor did he like having many eyes on him. Judith was a bit more open and found it easy to dance by getting lost in the music, no matter whose around.

And judging by the reaction Judith had in the Great Hall (Talbott made sure to tell her about it), this type of dancing is different. How different is almost anybody’s guess.

Katriona tried to soothe her fellow Eagle.

“Dancing seem something more prominent in their culture than over here. Besides, they’re just dancing, it’s not a mating ritual,” she said. Talbott rolled his eyes, but Katriona noticed how he relaxed a little.

“Besides you know Judith has eyes only for you. If she never noticed how Malik looks at her, I don’t know how she can’t, then it’s clear she doesn’t return his feelings. Try not to let this worry you, just a few more days and he’ll be gone,” she reassured. Talbott gave the small witch a small smile.

“Thank you, Katriona,” he said softly. She nodded with a smile of her own.

“Anytime, Talbott. Because Gods know you wouldn’t just go up to Judith to express your feelings. Which you need to work on, by the way.” Talbott glared at her.

“Everything after the “Anytime, Talbott.” was strictly unnecessary.” Katriona gave a small smirk.

“Simply telling it as it is...” Talbott groaned as Katriona laughed at his expense.

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

Judith can hear her heartbeat in her ears as she stood at the entrance of the Courtyard with Malik. A crowd was already there waiting for them. Judith wiped her sweat palms against her black and gold dashiki.

Dark eyeshadow covered her eyelids paired with a dark red lipstick. Her hair was up in a high ponytail so it wouldn’t be everywhere as she was dancing. Her dashiki ended at mid thigh where she had black shorts underneath. Black high heeled combat boots covered her feet.

“There’s no need to be nervous, Juju. We’ll be great, I know it,” Malik said squeezing her shoulder. He had on a black and white dashiki, with black track pants and black and white sneakers. His locs were in a low ponytail.

Judith gave a nervous smile to her friend.

“Thanks, Mal...” Taking a deep breath, they walked towards where the crowd was.

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

David was standing with KC, Merula, Talbott at the front of the crowd as the pair of approached. His brows shot up when he studied his best friend’s appearance (he didn’t care for Malik).

She looked good. 

Different but good. 

It was the first time he’s ever seen her in heels too. Of course they were combat boots, but they were still heels. By the looks of everyone, aside Andre who looks proud of his handiwork, they were thinking the same thing.

David resisted the urge to chuckle when he saw the high points of Talbott’s cheeks were a little red.

Malik held a boombox and placed by the fountain next to Cedric before taking his spot next to Judith. He watched as Malik whispered something to Judith, who smiled and nodded. 

Malik gave a thumbs up to Cedric, who proceeded to press play.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVCqe_PMyso (3:13-4:17)

Now David understood Judith’s look at the Great Hall. There was nothing like that here in Europe. The fact that Judith was doing this in heels was impressive.

He just hoped she didn’t break an ankle.

He was also surprised. The two moved well together. Though he could do without the part where Judith had her legs around Malik’s waist for those few seconds (and the smiles he was giving).

But it’s clear that the two had good chemistry. He kinda liked the music, finding himself nodding along to it a bit. Sparing a quick glance at Talbott, he notice the Ravenclaw was still rather calm for the most part.

It wasn’t long until the next song played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_NZIQOdT-RA&t=241s (1:00-2:28)

“Damn...” This song was much faster and aggressive. And yet the two were able to keep up.

David lowkey wished that Judith kicked him for real, but he knew that wasn’t the point of the dance. Though he can see that she was really enjoying herself.

The crowd around them were cheering for more. Despite the different sound, it looked like fun.

Despite a few moments where Malik got a little too close, the dances were rather tame. David could see the small smile on Talbott’s face as he watched his girlfriend get lost in the beat of the music.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5bVE6RqDCU (0:34-2:00)

‘Alright, that last part was unnecessary. Judith should’ve kicked him in the shin.’ David thought with a frown. Malik seem to getting a hint bolder, and he’s not liking it. 

Neither is Talbott. Judging by his narrowed eyes. By the looks of it, they weren’t done yet. David really hoped he didn’t have to restrain Talbott from jumping Malik.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5F6La02GcQ&t=633s (0:36-1:52)

David gripped Talbott’s shoulder when he saw him moved forward. KC held onto his right arm.

Okay... he wasn’t expecting that. Far from it.

The crowd was all for it, seeing how nuts they were going save a few of their friends. 

There was one more dance, Talbott just needs to hold out until then.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VD7lN2-gbao (0:57-2:00)

“Talbott, I know you want to kill him, but you need to calm down before you make a scene,” David harshly whispered. The Ravenclaw was brimming with anger. 

Malik was sending him a sneaky smirk as he had a hand of Judith’s hip as they finished their last dance. Judith was laughing, still running off the adrenaline of last dance.

Talbott growled and stormed off before he could do anything. Judith did notice him leaving, staring after him with shocked, hurt eyes.

David winced. Judith did confide in him that dancing to these songs were fun but she was scared of what Talbott would think of it. Him storming off didn’t project well.

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

 Malik walked up to the Ravenclaw later that day when he came back to the Courtyard just hours later. The sun was setting in the distance. While Talbott stormed off, Malik was left to comfort a hurt Judith. While he hated to see her tears, at least he was there to comfort her.

Maybe now, she’ll see that her boyfriend may not fully accept her and may see him as a better option...

“Hey, Talbott. I saw you storm off, didn’t like the show,” Malik asked with a smirk. The Ravenclaw glared at him angrily. 

“Listen here, don’t think I didn’t notice what the hell you were doing,” Talbott hissed. Malik gave him an innocent look.

“Whatever do you mean?” Talbott narrowed his eyes.

“I may not be as knowledgeable about the dances you guys are used to, but I noticed how you were touching her. The way you looked at her. The way you looked at me with that infuriating smirk of your face. You were trying to make me jealous on purpose! Trying to get closer to my girlfriend by using a dance,” Talbott growled. 

“I honestly don’t know how she’s with a guy like you. You seem so stiff and boring. Judith is a woman filled with life. She deserves better than you.” Talbott ignored the insecurity flooding his mind and clung onto the anger that threaten to turn his vision red. He was close to strangling him when a voice caused both of them to freeze.

“You know as my childhood friend, I expected you to respect my choices. But apparently I was wrong.”

“Judith!” They cried as the girl in question walked up. She switched out of her heels and switched into some sneakers.

Those lovely gold eyes were glaring daggers at Malik.

“I’m going to say this once, so you better listen Malik Kai Coleman and you better listen well. We. Are. Friends. Talbott is my boyfriend. Know your place or consider us strangers,” she said coldly. Malik winced when Judith called him by his full government before his blood ran cold.

“You would really let go of our friendship for him,” he gasped. She raised a sharp brow.

“Yes.” Her voice held a tone of finality. Malik looked at her with hurt eyes before hanging his head.

He loved Judith. Dearly. While Judith loved him, it was only as a friend. She was giving him a choice.

Accept her friendship or let her go.

He swallowed as he made his choice.

“I’ll back off,” he mumbled. He didn’t look at neither of them as he turned on his heel and went to the room he was staying in. Once he was gone, Talbott turned his shocked gaze to his girlfriend.

“Judith-MHM?!” Talbott didn’t get a chance to finish speaking when Judith yanked him down by his tie and pressed a kiss on his lips. He closed his eyes and accepted it.

“You could’ve said something, you know,” she said when they pulled away. Talbott huffed.

“You could’ve noticed that he liked you more than a friend, you know,” he sassed back. Judith rolled her eyes before chuckling.

“Okay, it’s both our faults,” she compromised. Talbott hugged her close.

“How did you know where to find me,” he asked when he buried his face in her hair.

“After having a small cry session after you ran off, David and KC explained everything to me and the real reason why you stormed off. I had a hunch you were here, I didn’t expect Malik to be here as well,” she replied. Talbott silently thank their two friends and he nodded.

“You’re an amazing dancer, darling,” he said. Judith chuckled and nuzzled his chest.

“Thank you, my love...”

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

For the remaining few days, Malik seem to resign to the fact Judith will never return his feelings. 

“Take good care of her, Talbott. Clearly she sees something in you, don’t break her heart,” Malik told Talbott on his last day. Talbott looked into the dark skin man’s eyes.

Resignation and seriousness danced in those dark orbs. Talbott nodded.

“Of course, Malik. She’s my everything, I wouldn’t dream of hurting her...” Malik looked into Talbott’ eyes, searching for something.

Whether it was, he found it as he nodded.

“Good... hopefully next we cross paths, it’ll be on better terms. At least for Judith’s sake,” he mumbled as he hitched his bag higher on his shoulder. Talbott can see the sadness radiating off the man.

Malik seem to really feel bad for his actions. He came here set on winning over his crush and meant no harm to any of her friends. Malik didn’t predict that Judith was with him.

Choosing him over Malik made the dark skin man realize that he shouldn’t get in the way of that. He didn’t want to lose his oldest friend.

“I believe we can have a decent relationship,” Talbott said. Malik looked at him surprised.

Malik was apologizing. And Talbott was accepting it.

While Talbott was glad that Judith chose him, he didn’t want her to cut off another tie from her time in Barbados. A time where she was the most happiest.

Malik gave a small smile.

“I would like that.” The two young men shook hands before pulling away.

“Hey Malik, I’m here to walk you to Dumbledore’s office. You ready to go,” Judith asked as she approached. Malik nodded at the Hufflepuff witch.

The two shared a brief hug.

“I’m gonna miss you, Juju,” Malik whispered. Judith chuckled.

“There’s such a thing called writing, Mal. As long as you know your place,” she said. Malik smiled a little.

“Of course...” Malik turned to Talbott, eyes sending a silent question.

“Like she said, as long you know where you stand, I have no issue. If you want, we can write as well. I’m curious about the wizarding school in Africa.” Malik’s smiled got wider as he nodded.

“Sure thing... Take care Talbott...” Talbott gave a casual smirk.

“Take care, Malik. Have a safe journey.”

[anonwriter27]

Teen Spirit - Chapter Seven

“Robb Stark get down here at once!” Catelyn shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

This wasn’t good; he usually heard Arya or Rickon being shouted for, never himself. He walked down the stairs hesitantly, wary of his mothers angry tone. When he reached the last step he turned to see his mother looking very distressed.

“Yes mother?” He asked.

“What’s this I hear about a girlfriend?” She said, a hand on her hip and her foot tapping vigorously.

Robb looked to find the culprit when he saw Jon and Theon sink in their seats. He shot them an accusing glare.

“Yes, it’ s Myrcella.”

“And how long have you been seeing Myrcella?” She asked impatiently.

“Just over a month…”

“Exactly! Over a month!” She yelled her arms shooting up in the air.

“Why did you ask if you already knew?” Robb asked, though she wasn’t listening.

“She must think we are so rude not to have invited her over for dinner!” Catelyn started, “We haven’t introduced ourselves.”

“You’ve already met her.” Robb said confused.

“Not formerly! And your father hasn’t met her once.”

“She’s got a point.” Ned interjected though he didn’t remove his gaze from his newspaper.

“Well I’ll invite her over then.” Robb said exasperatedly.

He only said it to appease his mother, he thought that was the end of the matter, sadly he forgot about his siblings.

“Robb’s bringing a girl home.” Bran said and waggled his eyebrows earning a laugh from Theon and Jon.

“Is it Myrcella!? Rickon asked as he entered the room, “When is she coming? I need to pick some flowers!”

Rickon ran out the door barging into Arya as he did so.

“What’s got into him?” She asked.

“Robb’s bringing a girl home.” Ned said simply with a smile.

“Dad!” Robb whined, tired of the attention.

Robb walked up the stairs to find refuge in David Bowie song, attempting to drown out his family’s teasing. They watched him as he left, all with smiles on their faces.

“He must really like this girl.” Arya said.

………………..

Myrcella was nervous, she’d never had a boyfriend before let alone met a guy’s parents. She called for reinforcements. Osha came with food, Hodor brought drinks and Ygritte brought dresses.

“Is this a fancy thing?” Osha asked.

“I think it’s just dinner at their house.” Myrcella said.

She kept her head down as Ygritte fixed her hair. Her stomach was in nots and felt the urge to throw up every five minutes.

“Relax, they’ll love you.” Ygritte assured her.

“But…”

“No buts! You’re the sweetest girl I know, they’ll be thanking you for dating their son.” Ygritte said while Osha and Hodor nodded in agreement.

The door bell rung, and Myrcella knew it was Robb (he was always ridiculously punctual). She turned to look at Ygritte.

“Will I do?” She asked nervously. She was wearing a simple long sleeved black dress, with daisies stitched around the hem.

“You’ll more than do.” Ygritte told her.

She opened the door to see Robb in a blue button down shirt that brought out his eyes, it made her heart beat just a little bit faster. ‘How does he do that,’ she thought.

“You look beautiful.” He said, slightly dazed.

She blushed a pretty shade of pink, “Thank you.”

They were about to leave before Robb remembered something, “Ah, Ygritte?”

“Yeah?”

“Jon told me to remind you about the bar on Saturday, he said you’d know what that meant?”

All eyes turned to Ygritte whose face had turned as red as her hair. No one knew she talked to Jon, let alone hung out with him.

“Oh yeah…right.” She said, then walked away quickly.

Robb and Myrcella walked the car Robb’s dad had lent him. As they drove to Winterfell Robb held onto Myrcella’s hand and occasionally looked over at her. A simple look could set her skin aflame, she didn’t know what had come over her. She wasn’t alone in her feelings; every time Robb looked at her he had to distract himself with other thoughts. He couldn’t help himself, she was so beautiful and sweet, and he found himself wanting to touch her whenever they were alone together. He knew he was getting ahead of himself though, so he contended himself with just holding hands.

……………..

“Rickon you steal one more cupcake and you’re going to bed early!” Catelyn scolded.

“It’s not my fault they taste so good!” Rickon whined.

“Bran distract your brother for me.” Catelyn begged.

“I’m stirring the sauce mother, do you want me to risk it curdling!?” Bran asked aghast.

“Oh of course not.” Catelyn said exhausted, “Sansa! Arya! Your assistance would be greatly appreciated.” She called. They didn’t answer but Catelyn could hear them arguing from downstairs.

“Arya I swear to the Gods if you don’t give me back that top…”

“You’ll what Sansa? I dare you to finish that sentence.”

Catelyn didn’t have to be a mind reader to know what was coming, in three second they heard an almighty thud followed by Sansa shrieking.

“Jon! Assistance!”

“On it!” Jon shouted and ran to remove Arya from her sisters back. This didn’t work and Arya and Jon somehow ended up tumbling down the stairs together, Sansa landing neatly on top of them.

After hearing a crash Ned decided to come out of his study and see what all the commotion was; what he saw was pure chaos.

Arya and Sansa were fighting on top of a concussed Jon, Bran was stood on a chair above the stove screaming “It’s curdling! It’s curdling!”, while Catelyn was mixing egg whites, flour all over her face, keeping Rickon away with her foot.

“Ned! Assistance!” Catelyn yelled, but before he could do anything the door bell rang.

They all froze in place, none of them knowing how to explain their current situation.

“Act normal.” Catelyn whispered and they all nodded while Ned went to open the door.

Ned opened the door, but kept it slightly closed so they couldn’t see what was going on behind him.

“Hi there, I’m Ned. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He said and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Myrcella said sweetly, shaking his hand.

There was a long pause, “Can we come in dad?” Robb asked confused.

“Ummmmm….” Ned turned to see the state of the place, it wasn’t great but he couldn’t leave them, on the door step. “Of course.”

All the Starks were lined up ready to meet their guest. Robb shook his head at the sight of them; Catelyn and Bran still had flour in their hair, Sansa and Arya’ clothes were disheveled, while Jon looked slightly out of it and confused. The only sane looking one was Rickon, who stepped forward.

“Enchanté mademoiselle.” He said, handing her flowers and kissing the back of Myrcella’s hand.

They all laughed, the disastrous start forgotten.

………………

They sat down to eat together, Sansa holding an ice pack to Jon’s head, Arya and Rickon arguing over who got the last piece of chicken, and Myrcella consoling Bran about his sauce.

“It was delicious Bran really.” Myrcella said.

“Why does it always curdle?” He said looking at his hands, accusing them of foul play.

“I hope you’ve got room for desert Myrcella, we’ve got a chocolate cake coming up.” Catelyn said.

“That sounds lovely, thank you.”

“So Myrcella you’re Robert’s daughter?” Ned asked.

“Yes I am.”

“Fine man your father, he must be happy your studying further north?”

Myrcella smiled widely at that. Although he travelled a lot, Myrcella had a good relationship with her father, he always called her his little doe, and she loved how proud she’d made him by choosing to leave the south.

“He’s very happy. He says the best time of his life was when he studied at the Vale.”

Ned chuckled, “Aye those were good time, no one knew how to cause mischief like your father.” He laughed and Myrcella joined him.

“How are the advanced classes going Myrcella?” Sansa asked.

“They’re going well. Just one more essay to write and I’ll be finished for Christmas.” Myrcella said happily.

Ned liked this girl, she had all the goodness Robert use to have before he joined the business world. She was smart too; Ned often worried Robb would give in to his popularity and date a girl for status, but this girl was pretty, intelligent, and kind too. She had won them all over and she didn’t even have to try.

“Well the cake will take a while so you are all dismissed.” Catelyn said, and immediately they all left to do something else. (Rickon decided to wait in the kitchen to make sure he’d get the first slice).

Robb and Myrcella went up to Robb’s room, though both of them felt nervous about doing so.

“So what do you think of them?” Robb asked as he partially closed his bedroom door.

“They’re lovely Robb, you have such a nice family.” She said and he smiled at the compliment.

“They like you too.” He said.

“You don’t know that.”

“One more nice comment and my mother is adopting you.” He joked and they both laughed, “Want to read.” He asked and she nodded eagerly.

They had started reading together in the last few weeks, Myrcella would lay in his arms while they read the same book. They were currently on his sofa reading a collection of Sherlock Holmes stories.

They didn’t know how much time had past, but they finished a good five stories.

Robb turned to look at her as she lay in his arms, those piercing green eyes staring back up at him. There was something about her eyes, the way they always looked so inquisitive, he could get lost in those green orbs.

Before he could stop himself he leaned in to kiss her deeply. The book dropped to the floor while Robb turned to hover over her slightly.

This kiss felt warm and electric, as though each touch caused a spark. He stroked her cheek tenderly, his thumb brushing over her cheek bone.

It wasn’t aggressive in its passion, it was tentative. Although they kissed frequently, Myrcella was still shy and new to it all. This kiss felt like her surrender; the walls she had built up slowly beginning to crumble.

They heard a faint knock on the door and someone clearing their throat, causing both of them to jump apart. Robb looked up to see his father, while Myrcella refused to look anywhere but the floor.

“Your mother says the cake is ready.”

“Right, ummm… we’ll be right down.” Robb said awkwardly.

Ned nodded at them and left. He couldn’t help but smile at himself remembering his own youth.

They headed down stairs where all the Starks (except one) were gathered in the living room.

“Ah there you are! Ready for dessert?” Catelyn asked and they all nodded eagerly.

They all headed to the dining room ready to eat when their excitement reached a dead end. There sat in front of the table was Rickon Stark, a half empty plate in front of him, chocolate on his hands, and a smile on his face.

“How did he eat it so quickly?” Jon asked, more amazed than annoyed.

“It just came out the oven… it was still hot.” Bran said stunned.

“Rickon! Bed! Now!” Catelyn erupted.

He jumped off of his seat and walked out with as much swagger as a six year old could possess.

“Worth it.” He said proudly. ………………

Robb left to drop Myrcella off at her flat, leaving the Starks to discuss their guest.

“She seems cool to me.” Arya said.

“She ate my sauce even though it was ruined. She will forever have my gratitude for that.” Bran joked.

‘Well I’ve always liked her.” Jon said proudly, “ Rickon would say the same if he wasn’t suffering stomach pains.” He laughed.

“She helped with the dishes!” Catelyn pointed out.

“And she makes Robb happy.” Sansa said with a smile.

They all turned to the family patriarch, sitting quietly in his arm chair. They sat in silence awaiting his verdict.

“I like her.” He said and they all smiled in response.

Ned joined Catelyn in the kitchen, “Cup of tea?” He asked.

“Yes please.” She said.

“You know, Robb seems pretty serious about this girl.” Ned started.

“I know, it’s sweet isn’t it?” Catelyn cooed.

“Robb’s at a certain age now Cat, maybe we should talk to him about… you know…”

“Do you think it’s time?”

“I wished it wasn’t.” Ned sighed.

“We’ve never given the talk before, what if we  don’t do it right?” Catelyn said.

“Well we’ll know better for the next time.” Ned assured her.

“When it’s Sansa and Arya’s turn?” Catelyn teased.

“We’ve discusses this Cat, they’re joining a convent.” Ned joked.

[dontshootmespence]

Through the Lens

Part 2

Shit. This place was fancy. Apparently, the food was delicious, but you were going to a fancy restaurant with the most beautiful model in the world. Fuck. What in the hell were you supposed to wear?

Rummaging around in your closet did no good. Nothing was good enough. How could anything be good enough for the beautiful JJ and this fancy ass Italian restaurant? 

Over the past couple of days, you and JJ had been exchanging text messages and getting to know each other more, so you texted her with your worries.

Y/N: What is someone who normally wears oversized sweatshirts and skinny jeans supposed to wear to this place?

JJ: Whatever you want!

That wasn’t helping!

Y/N: JJ, that’s not helping! I looked up this place and it’s super fancy and I look like a bum in my normal clothes.

JJ: But you’re a cute bum.

You blushed at JJ calling you cute and decided to go out and find something to wear. Dresses weren’t your staple, but you did like them, so you decided to find the perfect dress. After nearly two hours of shopping by yourself, during which time you asked for JJ’s opinion on each outfit, you’d settled on the perfect one without showing her; you felt great in it and it was totally you. Vintage was always your style. You loved it because it was clean and demure on the outside, but that wasn’t how you were on the inside. Though shy at first, once you got comfortable with someone, you let yourself be freer. 

Now it was time for your date. JJ was going to be here in less than five minutes and you were looking yourself over in the mirror for the 18th time. The outfit was perfect. It was light blue chiffon with a thin black trim on the flowing cap sleeves, as well as the bottom of the dress; a matching black strap cinched your waist and was adorned with a cute black bow. You’d also bought black strappy stilettos and a small black clutch. Last but not least, you added your great grandmother’s wedding ring, which was impossibly small, so you kept it on a chain around your neck. “I can do this,” you said to yourself. “You’re going out with JJ. She asked you out.” Even the best pep talk wasn’t helping. Still nervous.

The knock on the door startled you, bringing a blush to your face that actually complimented the natural makeup you’d applied. “JJ?”

“It’s me!” She sounded adorable, and she was, but when you opened the door, you had to make sure you kept your mouth from falling to the floor. She looked drop-dead gorgeous, decked out in a royal blue, backless mini dress. “I’m hoping your speechlessness is good?” She asked cheesily, smiling as she stepped into your apartment.

“Y-yes,” you laughed. “Very good. Very very good.”

Once downstairs, you were met with a driver to take you to the restaurant. “I reserved a table for us. I know the owner; his name is David Rossi. His mother came to the U.S. from Italy and brought all her recipes with her. Rossi is the absolute sweetest. If there was ever a person more perfect for his job, I haven’t met him, because Rossi is it.”

The ride to the restaurant was short, but filled with laughter and more easy conversation. Though JJ made you feel at ease, there was one lingering thought in the back of your mind; JJ was one of the most sought after women in the world, not just in regards to a relationship, but the paparazzi. Anyone she dated was going to be photographed constantly, and you were an intensely private person. Somehow, despite not knowing each other for more than a few days, JJ seemed to know what you were thinking.  “I hope you don’t mind, or at least, can deal with having your picture taken, because unfortunately, it does come with the territory.” She grimaced as the limo driver pulled up to the restaurant; she loved what she did, but if she could do it without fame, she would in a heartbeat – getting followed around sucked.

“Well, I’m sure as hell not used to it,” you replied. “And it’s probably going to take some getting used to, but I will, and I want to, because the pros definitely outweigh the cons.” Smiling as you got out of the car, you grabbed her hand, intertwining your fingers together as you walked into the restaurant.

“Reservation for two for Jennifer Jareau,” she said.

“Oh, hello Ms. Jareau,” the maître d’ said. “Mr. Rossi is expecting you. Would you like to be seated at the back of the garden?”

She looked at you, silently asking where you’d feel more comfortable. It was a beautiful day out, so you decided to take a seat next to the small fountain in the garden while you looked over the menu. Everything looked delicious; they offered everything from stuffed peppers to antipasti to six different kinds of risotto to chicken, fish, meat, and an array of nearly 20 desserts. “Oh my god, JJ, what do I eat? I like food. I want it all.” 

“I’ve had everything here at one point or another,” she laughed, her eyes glancing upward. “It’s the restaurant’s owner.” She spoke as she got up and embraced the older Italian man in a giant hug. “Y/N, this is David Rossi, the owner of Barbetta’s, Rossi, this is my date for the evening, Y/N.”

The older gentleman would definitely be categorized as a charmer. He grabbed your hand and kissed the back of it. “Any friend of JJ’s is a friend of mine,” he said, as he began regaling you with the history of the restaurant. Such fancy surroundings had given you an expectation of what the owner would be like – stuffy and off-putting came to mind, but he was the exact opposite, so much so that by the time he got to telling you the specials for the day it was nearly 15 minutes later. “Well, I hate to leave you two beautiful ladies, but I do need to get back to the kitchen. Let me know if I can do anything for you.”

“You’re in the kitchen all day?” It came out a little harsher than you’d intended but again, you’d never imagined the owner of such a fancy place to be back in the kitchen.

Apparently, he was used to the shock though. “I own the place because I didn’t want it to end up outside of the family, but my first love is cooking, so I’m here every day to lend a hand. It makes me happy.” 

As he left the table, both of you were beaming from ear to ear. “He’s so sweet,” you said, falling back into conversation as if nothing had happened while you looked over all your options. Eventually, after much deliberation, the two of you decided on splitting a roasted pepper appetizer. Then, because you personally couldn’t decide between all of the different foods, JJ got the Atlantic salmon and you got the roast chicken – that way you could split them evenly.

Throughout the meal, Rossi came to check on you both. He’d personally made both of your meals; the most adorable smile painted itself across his face when you told him that although you had been eating Italian food your whole life, this was quite possibly one of the most delicious meals you’d ever eaten. “Would you mind if I surprise you with dessert?” He asked. “I’ve been working on a little something I think you both might like.”

You liked surprises - especially if they were food-related. “I’d love that.”

“Me too,” JJ smiled. The entire meal had been so delicious and the atmosphere so soothing that you’d barely had time to register just how beautiful JJ was, but out in the garden, amongst the flowers and the sun, shielded slightly through the trees, her cute, dimpled smile outshined it all.

Rossi dismissed himself again, leaving you and JJ to talk about upcoming projects – most pressing being that of New York Fashion Week. JJ had been before, but you were waiting on word regarding whether or not you’d be going. The slight buzzing in your bag startled you both, and while you hated being on the phone at the table, you noticed your boss’s number. “This is my notice about whether or not I’ll be working during fashion week,” you said. JJ encouraged you to answer the phone, waiting eagerly as you conversed with your boss. “Blake?”

“The one and only,” she laughed. “Yours truly has been pulling every string imaginable. If it weren’t for your amazing work recently, I don’t know whether my pull would’ve done anything, but I’ve gotten you a pass for the fashion week.”

You pumped your hands in the air, silently kicking your feet and screeching. “Alex, you are amazing, and the best boss anyone could possibly ask for. Will you be sending me my assignments?”

“As soon as I possibly can,” she laughed. Just like you, Alex had only started to make a name for herself in the field, but she had – as not only professional, but kind, innovative and funny. All of a sudden, Rossi returned with your dessert, exclaiming to JJ before realizing you were on the phone. “Are you at Barbetta’s?” Alex asked.

“Yes, everything is delicious. I’m actually on a date and I feel totally rude, so I’m going to go. Talk to you soon?”

Blake apologized profusely before reiterating that she’d send you your assignments in a couple of days; she had a few other calls she had to make and then she’d be hunting down the best possibilities for you to showcase your talent during one of the biggest times of the year in the fashion industry. “Talk to you soon, love.”

“Bye, Alex. Thanks again.” Rossi approached the table, smile still plastered to his face as he laid the plate on the table. “I’m so sorry for being on the phone. I just got my go ahead for fashion week. I hope I get to work on at least one of the runways you’re on,” you said to JJ.

“Me too.” She placed her hand on top of your before turning to Rossi to ask him what he brought for them. “This looks delicious. What is it?”

Rossi took two spoons out of his sparkling clean apron and handed them to you. “Again, I’ve personally prepared something I’ve been working on for a while. You’ll actually be my guinea pigs if you will because I’ve only served this to family before. It’s an apple cider risotto cheesecake, topped with apple slices that are coated in brown sugar and cinnamon.” Each of you took a bite. JJ closed her eyes and you had to keep yourself from making an obscene noise.

“Do you need a moment alone with the cheesecake, Y/N?” JJ laughed.

You might actually. “I think so, yea. This is actual perfection, Mr. Rossi.”

“Please, Rossi or David. And you like?”

“I love it! So many times, dessert tends to be overly rich and heavy, and although delicious, I can’t enjoy it as much, but this is perfectly fluffy, and delicious, not to sweet. Actual perfection. I may need you to bring me the rest of the cheesecake.”

While you were gushing to Rossi, JJ had already taken another two bites. “You snooze, you lose.” While you playfully poked at each other with spoons trying to get the last bites of cake, Rossi dismissed himself. Upon his return, he handed JJ the check, which you tried to take, but she wouldn’t allow it, and handed you a box. Inside was the rest of the cheesecake.

“That’s on the house,” he said, when you tried to at least pay for that. “Enjoy it. I hope to see you again.”

“You will definitely be seeing us again,” you laughed.

JJ paid for your meal and agreed that next time you could pay before you left the restaurant and headed back to the car. On the way back to your apartment, she got a call from her boss, Derek Morgan. “Derek, where am I walking this year?” Though he was the CEO of the company that employed JJ, he made it a point to talk with any model he employed at least once a week regardless of whether they had a separate manager. She put the phone on speaker, introducing you both.

“Treat my girl well,” he said, his voice light and protective, yet not overbearing in the slightest.

So many people in the industry weren’t lucky enough to have such enthusiastic managers. “I plan to, don’t worry.”

“Okay, so I have you walking for Prentiss, Christian Siriano, Nina Tiari, and Balenciaga.” Such diverse designers. But Derek Morgan could afford to have JJ working with such an array of clothing – she could pull off anything. “Other than that, you are free to go wherever you like. Is there anyone in particular whose show you’d like a ticket to? I can get one for Y/N too if you like.” The two of you quickly conversed; she’d always loved Marchesa, but had never had the chance to wear it, and you’d always loved the intricate and delicate designs they came up with, loving how they played against the camera. “Marchesa it is,” he said. “I’ll have to pull some strings, but I think I can pull a couple of tickets for you.”

“Oh, can I also get Alvez and Hermes if possible,” she added quickly before Derek could hang up the phone. “Spencer is supposed to walking for them this year and I’d love to be able to see him. We’ve both been so busy, we haven’t been able to see each other in nearly two months.” Theirs was a known friendship in the industry – normally because the tabloids always claimed they were dating, despite the fact that Spencer was gay, not bi like JJ.

“I’ve got you covered.” Employer and employee said a few more words before they hung up.

“So are you happy with your assignments this year?” You asked. You couldn’t wait to get your own assignments.

JJ nodded happily, stomach full of delicious food. “I’m going to have to be in the gym for a week to make sure I’m good to go after this meal.”

That you did not envy. You loved food too much. It outweighed your love for clothes. “Well after fashion week is over maybe we can come back here and fill up on deliciousness again? My treat this time?”

“It’s a date.” 

You smiled like an idiot as she leaned into you. You’d been having a great time, but self-doubt always lingered, and you’d been wondering if she wanted a second date. Thankfully, she did.

As the driver pulled up to your apartment, JJ got out and walked you upstairs. “I’ve had a great time.”

“Me too,” you replied. “We’re both busy until fashion week is over, so…I’ll see you there?” 

“Absolutely,” she replied, stepping forward and gently touching the side of your face. “Hold on to this until then.” She pressed her lips to yours, practically melting into you as her tongue parted your lips. Thank god you were inside – less likely to have your picture taken, but you wouldn’t have blamed someone for snapping a couple pictures. The way JJ was kissing you was definitely picture-worthy.

@coveofmemories @sexualemobitch @jamiemelyn @unstoppableangel8 @iammostdefinitelyonfire26 @marvelfanlife @amarislestrange @obsessed5sosfreak @sonhadoraativa @1enchantedfantasy1 @ace-and-rosey @blakendores @twelveyearoldchildprodigy @offbrandcursewords @entelechysymphony @milkandcookies528 @pugs-cats-bb-8 @davidr0ssi @sarahkay-19 @alexialoveseverlark @gigglyprentiss @myhogwartslibrary @stunudo @the-slytherin-ice-queen @ultrarebelheart

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⤛  t h e   r o y a l   t o u r   g u i d e ⤜

- Galice -

“Do you like grilled cheese?” he asks once we’re in the kitchen and I almost laugh.

“Cheese, in general, is appreciated.”

He chuckles back, walking over to the cabinets, and then, fridge to get what he needs. I watch his back leaning on the counter. Part of me still wonders why he’s even hanging out with me, what we’re even doing, but I needed the distraction.

Even now my hand absently touches the cast around my arm. I know Dante feels guilty sometimes when he sees me, which should be enough to remind me he cares–that all of those intrusive thoughts are nothing but that, intrusive–yet doubt still lingers on the corners of my mind. What if the maids are still right about me? That’s the reason Fitz almost found me crying in the hallway in the first place.

I replace the thoughts with hunger and keep the conversation going. “How good are you? Because I’m very demanding about grilled cheese.”

He smiles, beginning to work on our food, “I’ll do my best miss.”

For some reason, the word “miss” sounds different coming from his lips. Polite and formal as he is, yet still sweet somehow. Of course, it’s a stupid feeling. It’s just a word and it can’t possibly be important to him in any way. He’s just not used to using my name.

I peek over his shoulder to see him work and I think I see his shoulders tense as he focuses on the cooking. It’d be awkward if I stepped back abruptly though, so I keep watching, just shifting slightly and hoping it doesn’t really bother him.

“Uh- Almost done..” he says and I step back to go for two plates.

“Smells like it.”

Am I making him nervous? I shake my head at the thought as I walk back to him and place the plates next to the pan to put a sandwich on each one. After, I take them both to the counter and sit down to examine my own. I poke it to feel how crusty the bread is and he leans on the counter to reach for his sandwich and take a bite, “I’m not poisoning you.”

“Shush, it’s part of the inspection,” I mumble, opening the two lids of the sandwich to see the melting cheese slowly stretching. It looks as good as it smells. I pick it up and softly crush it under my fingers before finally taking a bite. He shakes his head, grinning. “Not dead yet I see…Damn, it didn’t work.”

“I must be immune.” I smile, both at his joke and how good this grilled cheese actually is. Mom would love him for this sandwich.

“Really? Hmm… Interesting…because only some are strong enough to be immune.”

I follow his game and say, “Are you implying I’m special?”

“You’re not gonna imply that yourself,” he says, taking another bite from his food, almost sounding like a complaint.

I shrug. “I’m just your average, everyday royal.”

“Yeah sure,” he chuckles.

“Was that sarcasm?”

“So you’re not too average to notice that? Could it be, you’re not average at all?”

“Wow, I recognize sarcasm.” I say, rolling my eyes, yet smiling, “what a trait to define non-averageness.”

“That’s not all but..” he shakes his head, stopping himself and part of me wonders what else he could mean. “Take it or leave it, Princess.”

He finishes his sandwich and goes to wash his plate at the sink, I follow suit a few minutes later, asking for him to give me the sponge so I can clean mine. Instead of doing that, however, he takes the plate to wash it himself.

“You don’t have to-” I begin but he stops me with a nod at the towel nearby, smirking.

“Don’t worry, you can dry them.”

“Oh…fair enough then.”

I take the towel and it reminds me of visiting uncle David. Washing plates at his house always ends up with some sort of improvised musical number. Thinking of that I end up humming softly and swaying slightly as I dry the first dish and when Fitz hands me the second one a few seconds later I notice a smile on his lips before he clears his throat and corrects himself.

“So uh…We can cross kitchen off the tour.”

“I’d say so yes. What do you want to see next?” I ask when I’m done drying the second dish and placing it back where it goes. He shrugs before taking a little bow.

“You’re the tour-guide miss.”

I’m unable to stop myself from giggling at the word for some reason now. His bow isn’t a sign of respect, but a somewhat endearing gesture for a joke. I realize maybe that’s what he’s trying to do. Cheer me up. The question is: why?  

I try to pick our next spot for the tour at the same time my head tries to figure out an answer to that pressing question. When I finally settle with the music room he gestures for me to walk in front of him with a smile.

“Lead the way.”

I open the doors dramatically and let him get a glimpse inside.

“This is it!”

Taking a look around, he smiles at me and says, “My guess is you like this place.”

I can’t hold back a smirk as I get in the room filled with instruments. Dad has never been into music like mom’s family is, but he always told us when we were younger it was the room with the best acoustics in the palace. Fitz isn’t wrong, this space does hold a lot of memories. Sometimes I still come here by myself to enjoy the silence before I enjoy the decent enough music I can play.

“My mom has always loved music. It used to be an important part of her life before she married Dad.. and even after marrying. In a way, we all grew up with the fascination for it too, even if we didn’t indulge in it.”

“You play anything?” he asks with a head tilt.

“I think pretty much all of us know how to play the piano.”

“The whole family?” He seems amazed by the fact. “That’s impressive.”

“Thanks. Collin prefers listening to music over playing it and Adara is a better singer than a musician–though you can’t tell anyone about that– but I guess managing to get four kids to learn how to play is still impressive.”

“How about you? What do you prefer?”

“I love feeling the beat and melody, be it while playing or listening. Both have gratifying aspects to them… But since I’m usually busy with other things I listen more than play.”

He nods at the piano. “We can pause the tour for a short time maybe? Will you-uh..will you play something for me?”

I blink in surprise. No one’s ever asked me that. No one outside of my family that is. “You want to hear me play?” I notice Fitz blushes even more at the question. Great, you’re making him uncomfortable. He’s just being nice. To fix it I quickly add with a nervous smile, “I mean… sure, we can do that.”

It seems he regrets making the suggestion, awkwardly replying, “You don’t have to..I just thought since- well, I just thought it would be nice?”

“It’s okay!“ I say, too quickly. "Don’t worry about it. It is.”  

As I walk over to the piano I do tell him I’m not the best and point out there’s not much I can do with only one hand, but he brushes my concern aside with a smile as he leans on the piano and points out he can’t play at all.

It makes me a bit nervous even if I’ve played in public before. I’m not sure if it’s the usual pressure I feel or something else, because of him. Either way, I place my hand on the piano without giving it much more thought and take a deep breath. I pray not to mess up too bad. It’ll be a bit harder to play with only one hand if I’m mostly relying on muscle memory–not using both hands could make me mix up. Still, I start the simple melody with my right hand, ignoring my fear and repeating the same three notes over and over again in the right rhythm.  

B, C#, F#.

I skip some of the repetitions of that to get further into the song since at the beginning the right hand only repeats those same notes. I bite my lip to focus on what my other hand would normally do, a way to remember the correct hand movements for the one limb I’m using. Eventually, I sway my head to the melody, slightly nodding to myself as I hit the right keys and pace.

I make a few mistakes with it, I’m sure, but I don’t stop. When I glance briefly at my one-man audience I see Fitz smiling with his eyes closed, enjoying the song even if it’s incomplete. I’m glad his eyes are closed because I feel warmth rise up my cheeks as I stare back at my hand. I feel his eyes on me again a while later, but don’t dare meet his gaze as I play the last part of the song, my hand jumping to different keys quickly before returning to the first three notes.

“That was awesome!” He claps with a wide smile and I blush even more, my ears feeling warm soon enough. Out of habit, I place a strand of hair behind my ear, even if I should hide how red it probably is. I won’t stop myself from thanking him with a shy smile though. “Glad you liked it.”

He only stares at me for another beat, like he realized something great, but then he shakes his head and clears his throat. “Yeah, it was cool. You should find more time to play instead of giving all these tours miss.”

I laugh, ignoring the heat in my face. “Maybe I should, but then I wouldn’t have any spectators.”

“That’s a good point yes.” He scratches the back of his head, awkwardly. “Since you will be a famous pianist someday… do you- Could I uh, call you by your real name?”

He seems so uncertain of what my answer will be it’s almost cute. “I doubt I’ll be famous, but you can call me by name, I really don’t mind…you do know my name, right?”

“Yes!” He smiles brightly and I tilt my head, smiling back at his sudden enthusiasm for something so simple. In his normal voice, he adds, “Yes, Galice.”

I’m not sure why I feel that relentless blush still creeping up my cheeks at what just happened, it’s not like it was that important, but it feels like so. “Yes. Some people call me Gal, but either is fine with me.”

“I’ll just try if I can get the formal things like ‘miss’ and 'Princess’ out,” he chuckles.

“That would be good,” I grin, but part of me also wonders if I want him to stop calling me ‘miss’ occasionally. I’m pretty sure I like how it sounds now.

He shifts on his feet and I notice his cheeks turn a soft red as well.  “Great…So uh, what’s next?”

I only stare at him for a moment in silence as he places his hands behind his back and avoids my gaze. My mind still refuses the idea of me making him nervous, but it feels like that’s what’s happening. I clear my throat and say, “Uh… There’s the gym. I do fencing there.”

“Good, good, let’s uh let’s go there.”

I stand up probably a bit too quickly and laugh awkwardly, knowing my blush won’t leave soon. “Off we go then.”

When I head for the door I look over my shoulder to make sure he is following and indeed he is, but for some reason, he frowns at the floor like he’s trying to solve a puzzle and mutters, “Yes, off we go..”

“So..” I search for something to fill the silence. “Do you like what you’ve seen so far?”

“Eh…yeah sure. I uh- haven’t been out of my room enough I notice.”

“Weren’t you curious?”

“Not as far as the kitchen and library?” He smiles again, sheepishly. I laugh.

“Only the important things must be considered, I see. You should explore more often.” I nudge him playfully before staring back ahead, sure my blush definitely won’t leave if I keep this up.

Fitz scoffs softly, but not actually offended. “Why? I’m doing fine now.”

“Hmm, true, you got a royal to give you the tour. A smart guy like I said before.” He chuckles. “No, I mean- yes, but I did not mean to…”

“You won’t fool me!” I cut him off teasingly and he shakes his head.

“No, I- You are just-… A good tour guide.”

“So you admit you picked me to be your tour guide?”

He smiles sadly. “Guilty.”

I nudge him again. “I’m just joking.”

“Yeah, I know.. I just wanted to cheer you I guess.”

Means I was right. I look away at the realization, unsure of why it makes me more flustered. “Oh, I uh, t-thanks…That’s really nice of you…”

He clears his throat, coughing. “Yeah well, it’s no big deal… So uh you do fencing a lot then?

“I like fencing with my siblings. They’re a lot better than me though,” I admit after clearing my throat too.

“You’re fighting with swords and you’re still standing, you can’t be that bad?”

We smirk at each other before I correct him. “Not swords. Foils.”

“Swords makes it sound cooler,” he says, waving a hand in dismissal, “take advantage of that miss- Gal.”

I roll my eyes ignoring the smile that tugs at my lips as he finally uses my name. “Of course, we wouldn’t like to diminish its coolness,” I ask then if he practices any sport and apparently working at the docks is the closest thing to a workout he can think of. “Docks, huh? How’s that?”

“Fishy,” he smirks and I narrow my eyes at him.

“I’m seriously asking now.”

“Okay okay.” He puts his hands up in surrender. “It’s fine. The people work hard and are friendly, even if I’d love to improve the hygiene, and it pays.”

“Hmm, hygiene how?”

“Diseases spread easily, especially at a place like the docks. The people there mostly didn’t get educated during the times of the castes and don’t really know about health.”

“Oh..” I stare at the hallway. “Yeah… That’s sad to hear. It’s too bad we can’t fix everything as quickly as one would hope.” But dad still works on it every day with other councilmen, that I know. A million projects can be made to improve what was ruined with years of the caste system. It sadly can’t be as fast as one would hope, however.

As we walk his hand brushes softly against mine and I feel all my senses come to life, suddenly aware of everything around me. I try to not give it importance even if I’m sure my ears are bright red, but Fitz is quick to put both hands behind his back after that.

You’re embarrassing him, Gal, stay away.

I push the thought aside so it won’t get the better of me and focus on his next words. “Not everything is the responsibility of the Palace. People like to blame them so they don’t have to take action themselves.” He frowns a little, staring at the hallway too and I’m a bit intrigued by that.

“Usually people don’t think that.”

“Royals are merely human too,” he says with a sweet smile and that makes appreciation flourish in my chest. Not everyone remembers that always. Not even our staff.

“Thank you.”

“Oh I didn’t mean you,” he teases, a grin on his face now. “You’re a tour guide, that’s a whole other level.”  

I let a giggle escape me as I reply, “Right, I’m special. Almost forgot.”

Can’t be sure if he finds my giggling amusing or it’s something else, but he keeps smiling. I hope for a good reason.

“Don’t you dare forget it, miss.”

“Galice, remember?” I correct.

“Right, right! Sorry, I’ll get it.”

p [gonna write the arm stuff soon] ↛ n [the rest of galitz tour]