#i think it's very bonding of a group and very intoxicating and hard to walk away from

[cruelsister-moved2]

the conspiratorial thinking on tiktok is out of control ngl and i guess the blame is ultimately on the US propaganda machine because it's so easy to learn that communism is not "just like nazism" and feel betrayed and confused because you've been lied to your whole life and then immediately go and eat up a different set of lies that are specifically catered to your current distrust of any and all authority, rather than doing the hard work of educating yourself which involves scary things like reading "books" and critical thinking. instead just go nope the academic presses and fucking wikipedia are all controlled by Jewish Capitalists and only this random person on tiktok knows the Truth

[lepusrufus]

Daniela and her maiden are just gonna canoodle in the bed and poor maiden’s roommates walk in and freeze when they see Daniela mouth “Don’t wake her up” while she pulls that wicked sickle from under the pillow, and maiden just grumbles and buries herself more into Daniela while pulling the blankets over her. Maiden does not have to argue for an extra piece of toast that morning for breakfast. But I also assume that poor lil maiden will be shit talked very privately behind her back. How could anyone sleep with the crazy daughter? how could anyone enjoy that monster’s company?

Ooooooh anon this idea is absolutely brilliant! Anita is really sweet so it doesn't take long for other maids to start both resending her and judging her like no tomorrow. She and dear unhinged Nicole would most likely bond a little over being judged and avoided by mist staff. Except Nicole has, as some would say, thicker skin and is at least liked by the older maids while poor Dani's girl is all alone. I had to write a little drabble based on this

---

Free days were becoming increasingly quiet and lonely, with how the other maids tended to avoid her. 

How could anyone enjoy that monster's company?

Anita winced at the memory of her whispering colleagues from this morning, before they realized she was within earshot and scurried away. The cold cobblestone of the garden steps did nothing to alleviate her miserable state of mind, quite the opposite actually. She wished she could spend some time with Daniela, but today she was hunting with her sisters so she was left to her own devices. Besides, she wasn't really looking to cause a bloodbath if the redhead inquired about her mopey demeanor. 

"Hey." 

She was snapped out of her thoughts when another person plopped down beside her with two cups of what looked to be tea. 

"Oh, Nicole. Hi. What are you doing here?"

"I'm on break and you looked like a shivering kicked puppy. Thought I'd bring you something warm." She emphasized her words by extending one of the cups in Anita's direction. 

She gladly took it, trying to take a sip but instead grimacing when the hot liquid burned her lips. Nicole didn't seem to mind though, as she was drinking her tea while watching the vine covered statues in the yard. The girl seemed to enjoy sitting in silence but the longing for a conversation with someone pushed Anita to start some sort of small talk. 

"I didn't know you were on the afternoon shift. I never see you around." It sounded more like something you'd say at an office job than in a castle in the middle of nowhere, Romania. 

Nicole furrowed her brows, as if Anita was missing some kind of detail everyone and their dog was aware of. 

"I work in the dungeons with Cassandra. Apparently the cook really appreciates how I section bodies and the Lady put me on permanent chopping and weapon cleaning duty." 

Her nonchalance was in contrast with the gruesome words and it made Anita grimace. She looked down at the small ripples on the surface of her tea and sighed, not quite ready to give up on a conversation.

"Do the other maids talk about you? You and...Cassandra?" 

Her voice was small and barely audible, but the other girl turned to her nonetheless. Then her gaze shifted towards a small group of maids also spending their free time in the garden who seemed to try very hard to not look in their direction.

"I'd assume so." 

"Doesn't it ever get to you?" 

"Hard to take their words to heart when I know tomorrow I may have to perform a mock autopsy on them, you know?" 

This time Anita curled in on herself a little, unable to stop a physical reaction at the words. She was painfully aware that she could have been one of the maids turned into wine and food. Noticing this, Nicole took some pity on her and changed the subject.

"Look, are you happy with Daniela?" 

That seemed to distract Anita from images of bodies hanging from hooks and she stilled. She took another long sip from her cup and finally answered.

"Yes. I know what the other maids say about her but once you get to know her she's really sweet and-" she was interrupted by a hand in the air. 

"You really don't need to explain yourself to me, of all people." 

An amused smirk was present on Nicole's lips and Anita couldn't help but chuckle herself. The maids generally couldn't decide which of the two younger sisters was the worst, often going on personal experience to back their claims. At least they had something in common, even if that was an apparent preference for dangerous vampiric women. 

After that they fell into a comfortable silence, finishing their tea and watching as maids went in and out of the yard. Until a familiar buzzing reached their ears and she was scooped up into strong arms. Daniela's giggling, that she had grown to love, only stopped briefly when the redhead leaned in for a kiss that was gladly returned. 

"We got back early. And we caught a huge buck!" Her excitement was intoxicating and it made the other two giggle too. "Oh hey Nicole, Cassandra was looking for you in the dungeons." 

Nicole's eyes widened and she sprung up, quickly grabbing the cup from Anita's hands and starting to walk towards the doors with hurried steps, clearly having lost track of time. "Fuck." 

"See you at dinner?" Daniela asked after her in her usual sultry voice. 

"Never!" 

After the doors shut, Daniela's yellow gaze returned on Anita with that wicked glint that she knew all too well. 

"I think I'm going to take a hot bath, I'm awfully sore," she said, pouting for dramatic effect. "Care to join me?" 

Anita rolled her eyes, recognizing the code word for come draw me a bath, I'm a spoiled rich kid, but getting to share a bath with the redhead afterwards felt like a good enough deal. She couldn't deny that her muscles needed some relaxing, even though she didn't know how much "relaxing" would last with Daniela, but she accepted nonetheless. 

[lilsuzn]

MLQC Gavin - Fluff abc headcanons

So by the popular demand - I am back.

Just kidding. No one was asking.

Fandom: Mr. Love: Queen's Choice

Warnings: None (the reader is gender neutral)

Dedication: @marytheredqueen

A = Admiration (what do they absolutely adore about you?)

You need to trust me when I tell you that Gavin had indeed tried to find at least one thing he could dislike about you. Many times.

Yet your body seems to have no flaws. He checked quite a few times at this point.

Your heart is pure. Loving. Patient. Loyal.

Whenever you’re at his side… The world is at peace. No pain exists, nor does suffering.

You are his purpose. You are his equilibrium. Nothing matters as long as he can be by your side.

B = Body (what is their favorite part of your body?)

Your beautiful eyes.

There will never be anything more beautiful than the way they shine before your lips meet in a loving kiss.

C = Cuddling (how do they like to cuddle?)

Him on his back.

You in his arms. Laying on top of him.

Your head rests on his chest, no matter if it’s your front, side or back that presses against his muscular torso - it’s perfect.

He also likes the smell of your shampoo… it’s just intoxicating for him.

D = Dates (what does their ideal date with you look like?)

He likes doing things outside with you.

Attending festivals, engaging in new, interesting sports, indulging in some street food or picnics.

He’s a sucker for long, romantic walks too, soooooo

He takes you out to the festival. Buys all kinds of yummy food for both of you to share. Wins you an enormous plushie and then carries it around for you. While holding your hand. Tightly.

Then takes you for a night stroll, to then kiss you under the sky full of stars before you turn back.

E = Emotions (how do they express emotion around you?)

He only feels like he can really express himself around you - so it will get intense. In all the best ways.

Gavin doesn’t shy away with showing you his affection, even if he tends to have a slight problem with voicing it sometimes.

His expression softness, his fingers brush delicate circles on your skin.

He doesn’t need to say anything. You know.

F = Family (do they want one? If they do, when?)

Oh he really, really wants a family.

Two kids… or maybe more.

A dog for them, maybe.

House with a big garden and a treehouse.

He wants to play and fool around with his kids. Put them to bed. Support them. Be proud of them… Everything his father never did.

G = Gifts (how do they feel about gift giving? What are their habits when it comes to this?)

When you want something, no matter how silly it might be - it’s yours.

Don’t even make me start on what you need.

Because there are very little things (and all of them are about you) that could make him happier than seeing you happy because of what he gave you.

H = Holding Hands (when/how do they like to hold hands?)

It's not optional.

There will be hands holding whenever it's possible.

It’s as much for your safety as it is for his comfort. 

All these guys with eyes better don’t use them to stare at you. 

See this hand? This beautiful gem of a person is with ME.

Likes to hold your hand while snuggling on a couch. Or in bed while falling asleep.

Holding hands is like a physical projection of the bond that’s between the two of you - and he loves it.

I = Injury (how would they act if you got hurt?)

He would blame himself. No matter what. It might be ridiculous, but he would always feel guilty for not preventing it from happening.

Wouldn’t leave your side. Would help you with anything and everything.

If there’s a concrete person or a group of people that caused your harm... Insert a very, very angry and strong bird cop with a gun.

J = Jokes (do they like to joke around with or prank you? how?)

You would have a light-hearted relationship in which he would tease you from time to time and he wouldn’t be mad if you did the same to him.

However he’s not one to prank you. He would find no enjoyment in it.

K = Kisses (how do they like to kiss you?)

Gavin loves to be kissed and he loves to kiss. All over your face. All over your body.

Any kisses are game. Slow and passionate ones. Heated ones. Sweet, delicate, loving, appreciating - he loves them all as long as he can share them with you.

L = Love (how do they show you they love you?)

Acts of service - He looooves to spoil his lovely sweetheart (you) this way. Wants to bring you food, tidy up your apartment for you, brush your hair, paint your nails… Just ask him and he will do it. Whatever it is. And then he will do things on his own initiative, because he likes to surprise you. You smile so beautifully when he does…...

Gifts - He likes gift giving as I already mentioned in G, but it’s no indication of love to him. He just enjoys your reactions. Prefers to show his love differently.

Physical touch - His number one and you can not convince me it is not. He’s a snuggly bear who loves kisses. You are just so soft and warm and he loves you sosososososo much. Would never want to hold this way any other. His physical affection is something reserved only for you. 

Quality time - see Q.

Words of affirmation - Gavin is not very good with words. Not that he can’t be when he wants to, but he kinda doesn’t want to most of the time. It’s uncomfortable. He’s feeling unconfident doing so. He prefers other ways, but when he does speak up… It’s the most adorable and loving thing you will ever hear in your life.

M = Memory (favorite memory together?)

It was your first 'real' date, but even though you both confessed love to each other, you weren't a ‘official’ couple yet.

At least there was no proper act of becoming a one.

You walk through the park on an evening of a chilly fall. Not many people in sight.

You just finished a lovely dinner date. Gavin even bought you a dessert to share.

And it just felt right. Everything.

The way your fingers were laced. How you both couldn't spot peeping at each other.

"Will you be my girlfriend Y/N? Please?"

He sure was pretty sure you wouldn't deny him, but he didn't expect you to throw your arms around his neck and kiss him the way you did.

"Nothing could ever make me happier than that, Gavin."

N = Nightmare (what is their worst fear?)

He’s scared of losing you.

Either by you walking away from him after discovering that you “deserve so much better”

Or by not being alert enough to protect you…

Surely, he would prefer the first option, but he can’t deny that both would hit him harder than anything else ever could.

O = Oddity (what is one quirk they have?)

Gavin is a little bit of an odd duck in general, but I think he has one major weirdness about him.

I would call it… A Keanu Reeves complex.

He doesn’t like compliments. Always feels like they’re far from true, because he always feels like he’s not enough and maybe even never will be.

Which is so far from true.

Like, Vivi, come on! You’re so freakin perfect!

P = Pet Names (what do they like to call you?)

He usually calls you simply by your name, but the boy has his moments.

Moments when he can help but call you all sorts of the cutest names.

Little angel, starry eyes, little munchkin along with the classics like honey, babe, sweetheart, treasure and my precious.

Q = Quality Time (how do they like to spend time with you?)

How?

Often.

Intensely.

Calmly.

Comfortably.

Restlessly.

He just wants to be by your side. Any. Chance. He. Gets.

R = Rhythm (what song reminds you of them?)

Moonlight by Ariana Grande

Because Gavin’s sweet like candy, but he’s such a man...

Or A Drop In The Ocean by Ron Pope 

S = Secrets (how open are they with you?)

Not at all. At least at first.

He gets better with time, but you still need to ask for it. He would never just come to you to lean on your shoulder and tell you what troubles him.

T = Time (how long did it take you to get together?)

Well. A lot.

Because of what I say in X below.

He just assumes that you don’t reciprocate his feelings, because he doesn’t deserve it.

He eventually tells you about his feelings under your insistent questions regarding the subject.

And then? After he finally tells you?

That’s when it escalates quickly.

U = Upset (how do they act when you’re upset?)

At first he tries to keep it inside. Not let you see… But it’s pretty obvious since he doesn’t talk to you. Barely throws any acknowledgment your way.

It would take quite some convincing for him to tell you what’s wrong.

Unless it’s jealousy that is a reason behind his anger. Then he will show you just how upset he is…

Not necessary in a bad way, tho...

V = Vaunt (what are they proud of? Do they like to show you off?)

He’s very proud of you. Always.

Even when you think you’re a failure, he still recognizes how hard you work and how smart you are.

And he also prides himself for earning love of a woman as wonderful as you.

But he’s not a show off. He doesn’t like to be in a center of attention. He doesn’t care for compliments or recognition.

He knows how wonderful you are and that’s all that matters to him.

W = Warrior (how do they feel about you fighting? Would they fight for you, beside you, etc?)

Well, it goes without saying.

Yes. Obviously.

This is Gavin. He does it actively throughout the whole story like it’s the only thing he knows.

X = X-Ray (how well are they able to read you?)

He’s not an expert in emotions.

He gave MC a blood stained letter and was surprised she was troubled by that.

Okay, let’s not sugar coat it - he’s not good at it at all. I said it.

I’m sorry. I wish it was different for you Vivi.

Y = Yes (how would they propose to you?)

I think in Gavin’s case it would be no kneeling with a ring type of thing, because he personally sees no value of that.

Of course, he would if you told him that that’s what you want, but if you don’t…

It would be a beautiful, summer evening. The both of you watching a beautiful sunset from the rooftop of a high building.

Last months you spent together were absolutely wonderful. Life with you by his side was much happier than Gavin could ever dream of… And the way the golden sunlight graces your skin is so, so beautiful.

It wasn’t the first time the thought crossed the bird cop’s mind. He caught himself thinking about it more and more often as your relationship progressed… And before he knew it, the words left his lips.

At first you were sure you must have misheard, so you asked him to repeat. And he did.

His beautiful eyes glimmered with so much love… just as much as you felt for him. 

How could you say no to that gorgeous man that adores you so much?

And after that, expect to someday come back home to find the most beautiful and meaningful ring in the world waiting for you to wear it.

Z = Zen (what makes them feel calm?)

Gavin is a man who enjoys simple things in life.

He likes to cozy up with you on a couch on his birthday. 

Watch a sunrise and drink cocoa with you on Christmas.

He obviously enjoys various sports, especially if he can enjoy them with you.

But what really, really makes him perfectly calm? Driving Sparky with your hands around his ways and your chest pressed against his back.

The feeling of freedom mixed the warmth of your closeness… how could anyone ask for more?

[lavaffair]

Just Admit It

Inukag Fluff Week Prompts: Touch and Pining

Ao3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33211216

Having a crush on someone can be wonderful, but also incredibly unfair. The hours spent daydreaming about the person who gives your stomach butterflies seem to be more fun than having the actual crush. Experiencing this vulnerable feeling because of a person is actually quite terrifying and painful. Most of the time, crushes lead to heartbreak and letting go of the person who never gave you a chance.

Being in love with a person can be extremely intense, almost obsessive, and beautiful if done right. When someone’s feelings reach this level, it begins to cut deeper beyond the surface, into dangerous and uncharted territory. Especially if the person you are in love with has absolutely no idea of your true feelings towards them.

For Kagome Higurashi, her feelings towards her best friend Inuyasha Taisho went way beyond a crush. She was in love with her best friend, so in love that it hurt her, and she was too afraid to ever tell him about them.

The risk of ruining her lifelong friendship of 16 years was too scary to think about. Kagome could never think of her life without Inuyasha, he was always there to annoy her, get her angry, protect her, and support her whenever and wherever. When he yelled at the bigger kids for making fun of her name when they were five, or afterward when she pushed someone away from him when they pulled on his ears, they made a pack to back each other up. The friendship just blossomed after that.

Of course, they made more friends along the way, which included Sango and Miroku; whom they met in middle school, but their friendship never changed. They knew each other better than anyone else, and they have had the uncomfortable and awkward conversations that come up between teenagers, and so they have seen it all.

They have been there for each other when their hearts have been broken, when they had fights with others, and when they have personal issues. The bond between them was so strong that even the idea of it breaking caused Kagome a ton of stress. She could not do it and would not do it. At the end of the day, they will be in each other’s friend zone and they will die in the friend zone.

She was convinced that Inuyasha had zero feelings for her. He has seen her at her worst, and probably only looks at her like a sister. There was no way he could feel anything more for her.

This is why seeing him flustered and awkward about having to share a bed together did not raise any suspicions. It was obvious he was just a bit uncomfortable with the situation since it has been years since they have shared a bed with each other. They are both in their early twenties now, and sharing a bed was very intimate at this age compared to at 13.

“Yash, I could go downstairs right now and ask for another room. You look like you’re going to have a heart attack.” Kagome grinned at him, trying her best to suppress her shyness.

“Tch. We tried that already! That old hag wasn’t budgin’. This is the last time we let Miroku make hotel reservations.” He anxiously paced around the room.

“I can’t believe they don’t have any rooms with two beds. It’s not like it’s a special weekend or anything, it’s not even that busy this time of year.” She could not help but bite her bottom lip while watching him pace the room. His anxiety was getting to her.

“Well. We’re stuck here now, I tried all of my tricks but that lady wouldn't budge. We just gotta figure this out.”

He disappeared into the closet and pulled out an extra blanket provided by the hotel and placed it on the ground beside the huge bed. It was soft and fluffy enough to provide some comfort, but Kagome knew his back was going to hurt tomorrow and beyond that. They are staying at this hotel for the next few days, and until they can find a new room, they will have to make due.

“Inuyasha, we can just share the bed.” She tried speaking logic into him.

Inuyasha hoped she missed the way his body jolted at her offer because it was an intense one. Share a bed? With his best friend, whom he also harbored feelings for? Not a chance. Not when it was hard for him to even look at her without thinking about all the ways he could hold her.

He was down bad, he just refused to make it obvious. Instead, he played off his feelings for her by being extra rude sometimes. It helped mask his feelings and it was believable because he was naturally a huge jerk. Of course, he has gotten softer because of Kagome, but he turns it on when he needs it. Right now, he was too flustered to even pretend to act like a cocky bastard.

He and Kagome have not shared a bed since they were pre-teens, and that was before puberty kicked in. It took him a while to notice it at first, but when Inuyasha realized he had developed feelings for his best friend, he knew he had to shut it down immediately. He saw the changes she went through, and how she went from this annoying, loud, bossy little girl into this independent and beautiful woman. It was too much for him, and it happened overnight. He sucks at handling his feelings, he is not the best with women, and thus concludes him knowing he is not good for her.

Kagome deserved better, she deserved more than him. Some guy who can talk about his feelings and does not want to punch almost every frustrating person in the face. He was in love with her, so in love, he would sacrifice his chance of happiness just to see her happy with someone else. He will support her from the sidelines, like any good best friend, while his heart tears away at the idea of a love that did not get a chance.

Her friendship was enough for him. That is what he told himself every day.

“No.” He replied flatly. “You probably still kick in your sleep.”

“I do not kick!” He heard her shout.

He laughed, “Tell that to my legs. I think they’re still bruised.”

Of course, he did not miss the way she scoffed as she got the bed ready to sleep in. He could hear her breathing from across the room, her sweet, natural scent filling the space every time she moved around and it was intoxicating.

“Don’t be such a big baby!” She padded the pillows for extra fluff. “You’re a demon, my kicks don’t even hurt you.”

He poked his head out from the closet, looking for anything extra to put on his makeshift bed other than bath towels. “Half demon,” he corrected. “And yes they do.”

She blew out some air from her lungs and padded over towards him, her little feet tip-tapping on the carpet floor. “Inuyashaaaa,” she whined. “If I promise to not kick you, will you please sleep on the bed?”

He swallowed hard, his nerves getting the best of him as he cleared his throat. It took him a second to compose himself before exploding, and then he put on his best face. He raised an eyebrow at her, a smirk playing on his lips with a little fang poking out.

“So you admit that you do kick now. huh?”

Kagome rolled her eyes, immediately walking away from him with her arms crossed against her chest. “You’re impossible!”

After a few seconds of comfortable silence, he heard her zip and unzip her luggage and heave a sigh. “I’m going to change really quickly. I’ll be right back.”

He grunted in return and quickly changed into some sweats and a loose-fit tee shirt. His makeshift bed was as good as it was going to get, the fluffy comforter folded on the ground providing some back support. There were no more extra blankets, but Kagome always brought an extra for traveling, so he would just use hers to sleep in.

Little sounds were coming out from the bathroom and he knew she was doing her nightly routine of skincare and hair brushing. Out of all the women he has ever met, Kagome was the one always on top of her routines. He knew she had one in the morning and one at night, and the only reason why she was not taking her nightly shower was because of how tired she was after a long travel day.

The sound of clothes coming off and then rustling back on her skin was extremely distracting, so he decided to focus on the interesting floor lamp in the corner of the room. It had a rustic-colored body, with a cream-colored lampshade over the light bulb, and it was as boring as any other floor lamp in existence.

The door to the bathroom clicked open, and the sweet scent that was Kagome hit his nose instantly. It was never enough for him and he was so selfish he always wished for more. The citrusy scent mixed with vanilla was expected after she stayed in the bathroom for so long, but he did not expect his heart to skip a beat when he laid eyes on her in her pajamas. To anyone else, it would just be plain sleepwear, but seeing her in a pink tee-shirt and shorts set was driving him insane. There were little white stars decorating the entire ensemble, and Inuyasha could not believe Kagome could get any cuter.

“Nice PJs, what are you, five?” He teased, if only she knew he was dying inside.

She glared at him in return, “At least my pajamas are more fun. You’re in the same thing you always wear.”

“Kagome, you never see me when I’m going to bed.” He was trying really hard to stop himself from stuttering.

“You’re right, but I see you in the mornings when you’re a grump. You don’t change out of them unless you have somewhere to go.”

“I didn’t come here to get chastised for my taste in sweatpants, Kags.”

She giggled and it sent a jolt of electricity into his system. “That may be true, but when we get back home I’m buying you new pajamas. I’ll get some cute ones for you.”

The half-demon narrowed his amber eyes at her, “You’re gonna get matching onesies ain't ya?”

Shrugging her shoulders and shooting him a cheeky little smile, she skipped to her giant bed and left his question unanswered. Choosing to turn off the lights instead, and leaving the duo in the dark.

Cheeky wench he thought.

There was nothing else for either of them to do but get comfortable in bed to sleep. Everyone in the group had had a long day, and he was sure Sango and Miroku were already asleep in the room across from theirs. He was thankful the universe spared him from having to listen to anything that was not snoring.

“What time do you think we’ll all be up by tomorrow?” He heard Kagome ask from above him.

As he made himself comfortable on the floor with the fluffy pillow Kagome had given him he answered, “Hopefully not at noon. I’ll push you off the bed and bang on their door until yer all awake.”

She laughed, “You’ll get us kicked out if you do that.”

“Yeah?” Well, maybe we can find a hotel that has rooms with two beds.” He grumbled.

“Sharing a bed is not a big deal!” Kagome lied, because to her it would definitely be a big deal.

To the blushing half-demon sleeping on the ground, it was also a very big deal. “Goodnight Kagome.”

Kagome pouted, thankful that he could not see the disappointment on her face. “Fine, don’t be extra grumpy when your back hurts tomorrow.”

They flipped on their sides facing away from each other and attempted to sleep. Kagome was doing well, the giant bed was super comfortable and it would bring her to sleep in no time. Except, she could listen to Inuyasha shuffling over on the floor knowing he was trying to find a comfortable position.

A frustrated grunt had her fluttering her eyes open and groggy from sleep. She wondered how long she had been out, and she would ask Inuyasha but he was still tossing and turning on the floor. She rubbed her eyes and let out a tiny yawn before scooting over to the side to look at him.

At the moment, he was fighting with Kagome’s blanket and was one minute closer to taking the car keys and sleeping inside the car.

“Inuyasha?” he heard her ask. Her voice was soft and sounded small, she looked tired and in much need of sleep.

“Kags? Hey, sorry for waking you.” He said apologetically.

She shook her head with a little smile to show him she felt no animosity towards him. “Yash, you’re uncomfortable. Please come to bed.”

“You say that like it’s easy..” he muttered over his beating heart. She was so tired, and yet here she was still concerned over him and putting his needs before her own.

“It’s not easy.” She replied sleepily.

“What?” He sat up from his floor bed and looked at her. Her eyes were glossed over, and a little smile was painted on her face. “Kags, what do you mean?”

She shrugged awkwardly in her laying down position and yawned again. “I like you, so, it’s not easy for me to tell you that.. but you can’t sleep on the floor.”

Inuyasha’s face heated up instantly, a blush so red and deep that he could make tomatoes jealous of its color. There was no way she was telling him the truth. There was absolutely no way she was reciprocating his feelings right now, because this all seems too good to be true, and nothing this amazing ever happens to him. He was already lucky enough to call her his best friend, but for her to like him back when he had never told her was more than he could have asked for.

Her words processed rather quickly, and Kagome shot up from the bed. suddenly wide awake. There was absolutely no way she just said that to him. Every second that passed caused her to overthink everything, and she felt like her friendship with him was slipping out of her fingers the more time passed.

“I- I mean! Um.. no? Uh. I didn’t say that! Forget what I said!” She laughed nervously, “Haha funny joke!”

Her stuttering was going through one fluffy ear and out of the other because he was still trying to process what she said. He could see her better than she could see him, and her blushing face did not match the denial she was spewing at him.

“Would you laugh too if I told you I felt the same way?” His voice wavered during his confession while his stomach made flips.

“You…” Kagome paused and took a deep breath in a failed attempt to get herself to relax. “You like me too?”

“Yep.”

“..For how long?”

“Since I turned 13 and saw you in that one blue dress at the school dance.” There was no going back for him now.

She remembered that day pretty easily because it was one of her most cherished memories. It was the middle school dance, and everyone was super excited to find someone to go with. Naturally Kagome went with Inuyasha since they were so inseparable, and she wanted to surprise him and go in her new blue dress. That whole night Inuyasha was acting weirder than usual, but she thought it was because of the school dance, not because of her or her blue dress.

“What about you?” His question dragged her out of her thoughts.

“Around the same time as you, except it was after the dance. Yura cut off some of my hair because she was kinda obsessed with it, and mama had to even it out afterward. It was so short, and I hated it! But you came up to me when I was crying and told me I was pretty with my short hair, and then you yelled at Yura the next day.

“That’s when I sort of figured I liked you more than just as my best friend.” She admitted.

The two best friends stared at each other in bewilderment due to their confessions. The words they shared are still floating above them like small clouds. The fear of their feelings staying one-sided was nothing but a fluke now, because their feelings were reciprocated.

“Do you um..” Kagome coughed, “Wanna get off the floor and talk about it some more?” She padded the mattress for emphasis.

He was sure he looked like an idiot with how fast he got up from the carpet. Maybe she did not see it that way, but he sure did feel that way. He felt like he was floating even with his body now firmly on the large bed. He left a small space between them, on the off chance that he was reading into it too much.

It was quiet between them and sleep was still creeping onto them like a predator watching its prey.

“You know I expected my confession to you to be kinda dramatic.” Kagome laughed, “Like, we have a huge fight and we’re yelling at each other from across the room and then you say something stupid and I just kinda scream it out.”

The half-demon raised a brow at her in amusement. “You watch way too many movies, Kagome.”

She pushed on his shoulder in mock offense, “Don’t pretend like you don’t sit there and watch them with me!”

“That’s because you force me to watch them with you. How many times have we seen the Notebook? I lost count!”

“Okay, okay, first of all, we haven’t seen the Notebook since high school. I’ll admit we saw it too often, but not recently!”

“Yeah?” He grinned at her, his fang poking out only adding to the effect he has on her. “Doesn’t mean we haven’t seen similar movies.”

She huffed, “I’m a sucker for romance. You can’t blame me for that.”

Inuyasha watched as her lips turned out into a little pout and she puffed out her chest. Those same lips he has always caught himself staring too hard at, the ones he thought about kissing everyday but knew he never could. Well, here was his chance; and she was sitting right in front of him.

Before he could back out of it, he leaned in closer to her face and stared directly into her dark brown eyes. Her breath caught in her throat and the little gasp she let out echoed his ears. Her breath fawned over his lips as she realized how close they were to touching. Her eyes flicked from his golden ones to his lips, and then back to his eyes again.

“Can I kiss you?” He asked her breathlessly. He was totally enthralled by her and her full, parted lips.

She nodded in anticipation knowing that her voice would fail her if she tried to speak.

His lips were on hers instantly as he drank her in like water. They were as soft and plush as he expected them to be but they were also even more than that. Their lips molded against each other so easily it was strange to think about why he waited so long to do this in the first place. The kiss they shared was sweet and cautious but still electrifying. He did not want to scare her away in case she backed out of it, but little did he know she was savoring this moment between them.

Slowly, they parted ways as they tried to catch their breath. Inuyasha noted how cute she looked with pink-tinted cheeks, kiss swollen lips, and sparkling eyes as she looked at him. He could not stop the grin from showing up on his face after finally being able to kiss the girl of his dreams, the same girl that was a bit too far from him at the moment.

“Come ‘ere.” He slurred, his voice deep and rich with admiration. He extended his arms to her and beckoned her towards him with a blush still on his cheeks.

Without saying a word she crawled over to him and broke the remaining space they had between them. She fit into his lap so perfectly and she never wanted to live a life where she could not do this again. The butterflies in her stomach were eating her alive but she powered through the feeling and laid her head on his shoulder. His strong arms embraced her small figure and pressed her into him while he fought the nerves in his body to relax. This was still extremely new to the both of them, but suddenly they wanted to be as close to each other as possible.

They sat together like this for a few minutes until Inuyasha noticed that Kagome was starting to drift away into sleep again. Even the excitement of a love confession was not strong enough against the pull of sleep.

“Kags,” he whispered. “Let’s lay down. You need to sleep more comfortably.”

She protested, “But I’m comfy here.”

Before she could say anything more he quickly changed their position and laid down on the bed. With one arm still holding Kagome snuggly on him, he used the other to bring up the giant comforter to cover the both of them. He was glad they both decided to leave the lights off during the entire ordeal they had earlier so he did not have to get up and ruin her comfortable position.

Kagome was thankful for the lights staying off too because she was not going to let Inuyasha go even for a second. Miroku and Sango might be extremely confused tomorrow morning when they notice the change in dynamic but that will be tackled when they get to it. Right now, she is way more content with her head on his chest and his hand on her back.

Before she officially dozed off into slumber, she kissed his chin and snuggled into him. With her head on his chest, she could hear the erratic beating of his heart after her surprise kiss. He said nothing as he listened to her breathing steadily with every minute that passed until her grip on his arm went slack.

Inuyasha had not expected so much to happen between them in a span of a few hours. Their dynamic now changed forever. He was aware that they still had more to talk about, but for now, he was going to cherish this moment with her. He kissed her forehead one more time out of pure need and desire before settling in to catch some sleep.

He would never deny sharing the bed with her ever again.

[harrysbbby]

scared to love

Pairing: JJ x Reader

Requested:  Heyy, can you please write some JJ x reader where they have feelings for each other and the know somehow. But like Y/N is afraid of her feelings because she has been through a lot of emotional abuse and has been hurt by people close to her and she doesn’t want to have her heart broken by another person who is important to her and also thinks that she will break him even more but she still can’t help to have feelings for him. I don’t if this makes sense thanks. Btw I really love your writing ❤️❤️

thank u to the very kind anon who requested this. this is the first request i’ve done in a while just hoping it isn’t shit. but enjoy x

Y/N hadn’t been friends with Kiara all that long before she convinced her to hand out with the rest of her friends. 

Y/N hadn’t even meant to become such good friends with her, but she was lonely and the nice girl, with the curly hair who came up an spoke to her at lunch when no one else would seemed like a better bet than anyone.

Kelce, Y/N’s boyfriend (or more aptly, ex-boyfried, although hard to come to terms with) had cheated on her the few days before. She had sat on her own in the cafeteria, now an outsider, banished from the groups she called her “family”. Sarah cast her an indifferent look, before turning back to Topper and Kelce, who had his arms around the girl Y/N had caught in his bed.

She moved her food around her plate, the food no longer appetising as she swallowed the lump in her throat. A mane of untameable bushy curls framing a slender body slouched next to her. Y/N recognised the girl as Kiara, someone she did not know overly well. She had heard of her, and her falling out with Sarah, but that was before Y/N’s time with Kelce.

“So you’ve been booted too, huh?” she asked monotonously, chomping into a carrot stick with the least amount of enthusiasm she had ever seen.

“Yep,” Y/N replied.

Each day Kiara would join her at the same table, bonded together as outcasts. Kiara complained about how Sarah was a back-stabbing bitch and Y/N complained about how Kelce was a cheating man-whore. Their friendship continued to grow deeper, Kiara talking about the new friends she made who she referred to as the Pogues, just as Y/n started to open up about her home life.

Her dad had left well before she was born, and her mother, not being able to cope with the stress of being a single parent or the heartbreak she felt when the love of her life left her, had palmed you off to your Aunt and Uncle, gracious enough to take you in as their own, and send you to the private school of the Outer Banks. But their bottomless pockets of wealth were never enough to fill the void of Y/N’s empty heart. Kelce had filled it for a while, but now she just wondering if instead of filling the hole, she was really just using him to cover it up.

In an attempt to make her feel better and more included Kiara invited her to a day out on the marsh with her friends. With no reason to decline, she accepted the offer.

So, Y/N met the Pogues, who while albeit it mildly insensitive to the fact she had just had her heart ripped out of her chest by a long-term boyfriend she trusted, were a good distraction. Pope was lovely, finally someone she was able to chat about books and movies. John B was like the older brother she’d never had, pushing her to try new things, but being there to catch her if she fell.

JJ... well, he was a little different. He was raucous and loud and absentminded about other’s feelings. But it exactly what Y/N needed. To get away from the money, and the expectations and the lies and just enjoy some time with her newfound friends.

Easier said then done.

She knew JJ was a flirt. He would sling his arm over her shoulder as they walked to the beach, or place a hand on her thigh while sitting beside her on the HMS Pogue. He would make off-hand comments about how good she looked in a bikini or if she was being uptight that she “needed a good fucking.”

He meant well, and Y/N took them as light-hearted joked but she could tell there was more. More in the way his hands would linger as they brushed her’s when passing her a beer around the Kegger fire, or how he would stare intently at her when she explained concepts to him on their weekly study session in the Chateau. JJ was important to her. Which was exactly why she continued to deny his advances.

Y/N couldn’t handle the pain she would endure if JJ hurt her. The wound from her father leaving her was long, but had was now a forgotten scar. The wound from her mother abandoning her with her Aunt and Uncle was a scar, only recently healed. The wound Kelce left when she caught him with another girl was still fresh, barely beginning to mend. If she gave herself to someone again and she got hurt, her wounds would re-open, leaving her to unravel, unsure if she could piece herself back together again. 

So she started to avoid him. And he noticed. And she thought she had gotten away with it, until one night at the Boneyard, when he pulled her aside, their slightly intoxicated states allowing the conversation to arise with nearly no inhibitions.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” he stated as they reached the outskirts of the party, quiet enough to hear each other speak.

“No, I haven’t,” she countered. JJ crossed his arms, glaring at her.

“Really?” he asked sarcastically, “so you haven’t ignored all of my texts and left every room I entered at The Chateau?”

Y/N sighed, running a frustrated hand through her hair. There was really no way she could hid from this.

“I thought you liked me,” JJ’s voice came out a lot quieter than she had ever heard it before. Hearing him speaking so softly and tenderly threw her off.

“I..I,” she stuttered, before taking a deep breath, causing herself to look his eyes, which usually looked like oceans, now whirled into a confused storm. “I do like you JJ. That’s the problem.”

“What?” he asked, obviously confused. She couldn’t blame him. She huffed, her mouth opening a few times, no words being formed. She didn’t know what to say.

“I’m scared JJ,” she said, hands running nervously along her arms. His hands covered them, ceasing their movements, forcing her to look up at him.

“Of what?”

“Getting hurt,” she could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. She shrugged JJ’s hands off of hers, bringing them to her face, hiding her face, now spilling over with tears, “You’re a flirt JJ. And a fuckboy. You take a girl, treat her like a piece of meat and shover her to the side. I can’t take that,” she had started to hyperventilate words struggling to form as the back of her throat hiccupped, “like from my dad, to my mum, to Kelce...I... I don’t think I could... take it... getting hurt by someone I care so much about.”

Her sobs were racking her body as she spoke. JJ grabbed her shoulders pulling her into him. His hand cautiously ran along her back, uncomfortable with the fact he had to comfort her. He wanted to, he just didn’t know how.

“I’m broken, JJ,” she whimpered out, clawing desperately at his shirt, “I can't handle it anymore.”

JJ wasn’t sure how to proceed, holding the fragile girl in his arms. He let her cry, only speaking when she had calmed, holding her at arms length.

“I would never hurt you, Y/N,” he said seriously, gazing deeply into her eyes. She felt herself nodding, almost agreeing with the fact she knew she would never hurt him. But it was if she had been burnt, she was too scared to get close to the fire again. “I would never hurt you.”

His fingers placed gently on her chin, pulling her in for a soft kiss. She was hesitant at first, before letting him consume her. She felt safe and protected as he wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her close.

And she was. Her wounds began to heal. Scars littered her heart, but there were no more gashes letting her bleed out.

 She was never hurt again

---------

lmao idk what this was eeeew hope you all enjoyed feel free to send me any requests for any characters!

[tteokggukk]

game night → pjm

✳ pairing: jimin x reader

✳ genre: fluff, best friends to lovers au, (kind of a) college au

✳ warnings: mentions of alcohol, drinking, some light swearing

✳ words: 2.9k

✳ synopsis: in which you and your best friend jimin play a game of monopoly with a twist, and you find yourself spilling every thought and secret kept in your head.

✳ a/n: missed playing board games with my friends and i thought a game night scenario with jimin would be really cute. hope u enjoy reading!!

It was tradition for you and Jimin to come over at your place every week to bond and hang out. Originally you'd hang out multiple times a week, but that was back in high school. Once college started, you both decided it would no longer be realistic and possible to meet thrice a week with all the deadlines and requirements to prioritize, so you settled with once or twice every weekend. This was one of the activities neither of you ever missed or skipped out on, especially because it was the most quality time you'd ever get with your long time best friend.

Tonight was game night. As Jimin requested over text, he decided to bring Monopoly even though you begged him not to. You've never won against him even with others around, and so playing against just him wouldn't grant you lower odds. Unfortunately, you had no choice to say no because it was his turn to make plans this week.

In the span of six years you've known Jimin, you've seen each other grow into different people. Changes here and there were becoming much more prominent over time, it was hard to ignore how his body had become more defined, how his jaw had sharpened and how he'd grown inches taller than you. Back then, you were certain nothing would be able to change your friendship and that it would stay that way forever.

You hadn’t known it back then, but these gradual changes were made to rewire that sort of thinking.

For the past three years, you've developed a small crush on him which you often had to hide because you were afraid of telling him the truth. When you both started to drink, you made sure not to get too drunk around him as to not spill your secret. Jimin always thought you just hated drinks.

It was almost four in the afternoon, and Jimin would be arriving in an hour. You quickly decide to shower first and fix up before he came but avoided fixing up too much for him to question why you looked so dressed up. You didn't want him thinking you dolled yourself up for him.

It was just a casual night with your best friend.

Later on, the doorbell rang and you rushed to get the door. Jimin came in holding the box of Monopoly in one hand while carrying a paper bag in the other.

"Hey," he greeted. You took the box from his hand to help him out as he pulled you in for a side hug.

"Hi," you smiled, being completely engulfed in the familiar delicate musk of his perfume that brought you comfort.

He took his shoes off and walked into your kitchen to grab himself a glass of water. You set the board game down on your coffee table and followed him.

"What's in the bag?" You asked curiously, eyeing the paper bag he was holding.

"I thought maybe we'd play Monopoly," a playful smile crept up on his lips before bringing out three bottles of soju and placing it on your counter, "With a twist."

"Jimin! You know I don't drink much," You whined as he stepped closer to you, holding the bottle up closer to your eyes.

"These are flavored! You wouldn't even feel like you're drinking alcohol, they taste like juice, I swear," he smiled innocently, his beaming eyes were almost enough to convince you.

"I can't be hungover the next morning, I have a paper to write," You argued.

"I've never seen you hungover, how could you know how bad it is?" He laughed and placed the bottle of grapefruit soju back on the table.

"I just know they suck, because of how you deal with them." When Jimin first started drinking and would wake up with a hangover, he'd call to let you know how much his head hurt and how badly he'd throw up, so you'd come over to his place and take care of him. Over time he's gotten used to it and they're no longer as bad, but you'd still come over and cook soup for him just to help.

He always loved it when you did. When he began to notice how nurturing you've become, sometimes he'd call for the simplest of reasons just for you to spend time with him.

"I promise I'll stop you when you drink too much," he offers, to which you sigh. You could never really say no to him, anyway.

"Fine."

 "Is your cash complete?" Jimin asks you while he fixes the pile of money on the side. He was playing the banker tonight as well. 

"Yep," you told him, placing your money aside, "You done fixing that?"

"Mhm," he hums, "Wait! Almost forgot." He stands up and takes walks to your kitchen cabinet, "Where are your shot glasses?"

"Cabinet on your right," you told him while you looked through the chance cards. There was absolutely no way you were winning against him, you thought.

You both sat on the floor with the game spread on your coffee table. Grinning, he places the glasses next to the game board and opened the bottle of soju.

"So here's how we're gonna play," Jimin says excitedly, "You drink every time you land on someone's property, when you roll doubles, when you land on GO, when you go to jail, if you're in jail and I visit, whenever the other player buys a house, if you go bankrupt, and when you land on utilities and railroads."

You sat up straight with wide eyes, shocked at how smoothly he pointed out each time you had to drink. At this rate, you wondered how long it would take before you took a shot for each rule.

"Are you serious?" You asked.

"Yup," he smiles.

"We might as well have gone to a club, if you're gonna make me drink that much."

"I already altered the rules, you're supposed to drink for a lot of other stuff," he laughs, "I altered it for you." He proceeds to ruffle your hair which makes you blush. Thankfully the dim lights made it easy to hide the color on your face.

"Well, then, thank you very much," You bowed your head in sarcasm, "Why don't we start?"

"Confident you can win against me?" He smirks.

"Most of the time, yeah. But at this game I never am."

Jimin was good. And he was extremely smart. He knew how to quickly acquire properties and utilities and leave you feeling like you didn't properly know how to play the game even though you did. The rules were made for him while you were just a rookie made to watch.

"Y/n, you can buy a house, you know!" He laughs, "Babe, here." Your cheeks turn red at the nickname. You've been calling each other that for years albeit platonic, but these days it bothered you even more than it did. You cleared your throat to wipe your thoughts away.

You'd taken about five shots now. Normally, you'd have a pretty high tolerance but you could tell it wasn't going to take long before five shots turned to ten, and ten shots turned to twenty. Jimin so far has only had two.

It was hard to keep track with how much you were drinking because the alcohol was so sweet, if you weren't with Jimin you could gulp it all down in one go. The moment you could no longer count how many shots you've downed; the vision of delay was your only tell with how much you've drank so far.

Though you weren't completely drunk, you knew a couple more would be enough to make you intoxicated.

"I hate you," you muttered, cheeks feeling warm because of the alcohol kicking in, "You wanted this because I would lose."

Jimin laughs. His cheeks were also red now because of the alcohol, "I wanted this because I thought you would talk about how much you love counting the money."

"Clearly, I can't do that. I'm bankrupt," you whined as you handed him all your money for landing on his blue property with a hotel, "Oh shit."

Jimin started laughing really hard, he fell back onto the floor. When he got up, he was still laughing as he poured you another shot. Possibly your last one.

"I can't believe how bad you are at this," He chuckles as you took the glass and gulped it down in one go, "Should we stop? I feel like you've drank enough."

"The game? Hell yeah. Let's stop, I'm terrible at it," You sighed in defeat. The alcohol was definitely getting to you now. Jimin smiled to himself, clearly amused at the way you were acting. He began cleaning and packed up the board before sitting next to you on the floor, assuring you that you’d play a game you were better at the next time you had game night.

You took another shot of soju.

"Hey, hey," He takes the glass from your hands, "Babe, you're drinking way too much."

"This really does taste like juice," You were slurring now, "It's okay, I can handle it."

Jimin raises a brow and watches you carefully, "You sure?"

"Yeah I've got it," You nodded. You've forgotten all about not drinking too much around Jimin and just enjoyed the sweet taste of the alcohol in your mouth, sending you this wonderful sensation in your head.

Suddenly, as if your mouth had a mind of its own, you began talking about everything and anything. You talked about how you got annoyed whenever people would leave without closing the door, you talked about how this video of a cat made you cry the other day, how your hair hasn't been cooperating with the styles you want lately…

Jimin listened, watching the way your lips moved as it lost its filter. Even when you complained about a useless group mate, he found you magnetizing.

"I mean, I think I should've just left her name out of the paper, but teamwork was part of the criteria…" you mumbled. You looked over at Jimin, who's elbow was resting on the coffee table while his head rested on his hand. He was staring at you with this fond look and warm smile, you almost wanted to throw yourself onto him.

At least you still had restraint. Barely.

"I've never seen you drunk before," He says with crinkled eyes, "You talk more."

"Do I?"

"Mhm," He moves in closer, placing his hand on your head to play with your hair, "It feels like you're telling me everything. Like you're trying to empty all your words out."

"I've still got some reserved in my head," you told him, completely unaware of the coy smile on your face. This was new to Jimin, and it sent him a lot of mixed signals in his brain.

"Oh, yeah? Care to let them out?" He spoke, almost like he was challenging you to. 

"Alright, sure," You cleared your throat and stared up at the ceiling, "I really want a cat. I really like ice cream..." He watched you carefully, hanging on your every word.

"And I think I'm in love with you," you said, looking at him. You could tell he was startled by the look in his eyes, but all you wanted to do right now was to kiss him there on the spot.

A smile was beginning to creep up on Jimin's lips as he searched your eyes for any sign of lies. His eyes remained on yours as you slowly went nearer, and nearer. He stayed in place, clearly knowing what was to come.

And you kissed him. Even while you were intoxicated you could feel how soft his plump, pink lips were. Time had stopped and you could only hear your own heart beat now as Jimin's hands found their way to your cheeks while you held onto his wrist. No amount of alcohol could beat the feeling of elation his lips gave you.

When you both pulled away, Jimin immediately wanted to tell you everything. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night of conversations filled with confessions and soft kisses, completely different from the times you've spent together before. He was wrong, of course.

Maybe it was your body dropping from the high, but the moment your lips detached from one another, you fell asleep. Just like that. Jimin was worried at first, wondering maybe you've really had too much alcohol, but when he started hearing your small, quiet snores, he felt relieved. He laughed at how easily you dozed off and carried you to bed, admiring you for a while before proceeding to clean up the mess. When he was done cleaning, he freshened up a bit, changed into his extra clothes and got into bed with you.

He allowed himself to play with your hair (he always loved doing that) and observe your facial features which he always admired before holding you in his arms until he fell asleep.

When you woke up the next day, you felt the sun hit your eyes followed by the smell of breakfast perking you up. The moment you sat up, you could feel a grave headache coming in as this weird feeling in your stomach began to stir.

You had this unbelievable urge to vomit. You rushed out of bed to puke in the toilet, not realizing Jimin had seen you and followed you to hold your hair up and rub your back. When you were done, you wiped the vomit off of your mouth and gargled some water, preparing to brush your teeth. You looked at the mirror in disgust. Your face looked awful and worn out and extra tired, it was obvious you were drinking last night. You almost screamed when you saw Jimin standing behind you through the mirror.

"Jimin, oh my God," You breathed out, "You scared me."

He laughed a bit before moving his hands to your waist, hugging you a bit before kissing your cheek, "I made breakfast. You should come join me." He leaves the bathroom to give you some privacy, allowing to do whatever you needed to do. You were a bit embarrassed at the gesture because you had just vomited, but it still made you feel butterflies.

When you were done brushing your teeth and washing your face, you went to join Jimin for breakfast. 

Looking at him now, you could clearly remember the stuff that happened last night before you knocked yourself out. You kissed him, you told him how you felt, you came onto him first— there was no turning back from that.

"Last night was my first time seeing you drunk," Jimin chuckles softly, "Did you know you talk a lot more when you drink?"

"Yeah…" you laughed nervously, "It's annoying."

"It was amusing," he grins, "I could get used to it."

You couldn't help but smile. After you finished eating breakfast, Jimin handed you a glass of water and ibuprofen and insisted that you stay in bed while he washed the dishes. You tried to tell him you could help, but he said it was his job to take care of you this time and you couldn't refuse.

When he was done washing the dishes, he sat beside you on your bed.

"Do you need anything? I could make you some food. Carbs are good for hangovers," he offers.

"No, I think I'm okay," you smiled, trying to muster up the courage to talk about what happened, "Jimin, about last night."

Should you say sorry? No, it would sound like you regretted it. He kissed you back, didn't he? What did you need to talk about? What did you need to hear? What would make you stop worrying?

"Before you say anything else," Jimin gently holds your hand, "I'm in love with you, too."

Just like that, the storm in your head had stopped.

"You are?" You sat up, but sort of regretted it because of the throbbing pain that intensified in your head.

"Yeah, always have been," he smiles sheepishly.

"Since when?" You asked.

"Since our third year in high school. I don't really know what sparked it, I just remember noticing how much prettier you got and how smart you sounded."

You laughed, "Really? I never knew."

"I’ve tried flirting with you countless times, you know," he admitted, a shy smile on his face, "I don't think you ever got the message."

"I guess now you know," you smiled, "Message received."

He smiles really wide and squeezes your hand. You pat the empty side of the bed and Jimin understands as he begins to lie down next to you, holding you in his arms.

"Get some rest, I'll wake you up later for your paper," he says softly while caressing your hair. You could feel his chest rising up and down, calming your senses. Being with him right now made you feel like you were in the safest place on Earth.

"Thank you," you spoke quietly, the smile never leaving your lips. Before you knew it, your eyes began to flutter shut but you didn't miss the way Jimin kissed your head.

"I love you," he whispered. Little did Jimin know that the perfect cure to your hangover wasn't ibuprofen or cooking up food with carbs. 

It was being here, held up safe in his arms.

a/n: hope u guys liked it :’( here are links to my other works if you’d like to check them out:

let’s fall in love for the night (taehyung x reader)

welcome to my youtube channel (taehyung x reader)

all an act (seokjin x reader)

and my ongoing social media au, fan identity (jungkook x reader) in which the taglist is open! just send an ask :-)

i should make a masterlist soon ;-;

see you in my next fic/edit!

[ciggylungz]

Rivals. c2

Rivals: chapter 2

3.2k words

Summary: Y/n and Harry are both CEO’s of their parent’s companies since they inherited the businesses from them, they’ve been rivals since they were kids- now that they’re professional adults how will their rivalry affect them?

__

When Friday rolled around Y/n was excited, she’d had a grueling week and been working 18 hours a day for the past 6 days so she was more than thrilled to have a break. Friday’s were usually pretty tame in the office, but just her luck that day a new product design was dumped on her desk and she was tasked with going through the mountains of papers filled with advertisement ideas, promotion pictures and commercial ideas for the new line of clothes and perfumes coming out for the winter season since they were a few weeks away from December. Due to the time crunch she couldn’t really afford to push it off, so she sat at her desk and reviewed everything well past her normal hours.

It was around 7 in the evening when she pulled out the bottle of tequila she kept in her desk for late nights like this, grabbing some ice from the office kitchen and a tonic water from her own mini fridge stashed in the closet in her office. She kept the lighting low, her eyes already feeling the strain of the fluorescent bulbs and fine print papers after hours of reading and she’d like to save the headache for the next morning if possible.

She was a tad bit startled when a knock sounded at her office door, she glanced to the clock seeing it was nearing 10 at night and she knew her assistant left at 8 so she was a surprised by the interruption. Of course, he had to be the one knocking. Even through her mild intoxication she could tell that curly mop of hair as him, his face joining his locks a second later as he waltzes into her office. His lips were tugged in a small smile, hands holding a binder with a plastic bag cradled in his left one.

“Ah! Getting a bit wild in the office tonight? Tequila, you naughty girl!” he gave her a fake disapproving look companied with a stern finger pointing between her and the now half empty bottle. Y/n was always a bit looser after a drink, so she didn’t have her usual bitter comeback loaded she instead felt a strange shot of happiness? Relief? Fondness? She couldn’t put her finger on it. It was too foreign of a feeling to be associated with the man. The woman didn’t understand why she didn’t feel the sense of loathing tugging at her when he spoke, instead she let out a small laugh before flipping him off.

Harry was surprised yet pleased at her reaction. He always loved tipsy y/n, the booze seemed to soften her overly serious nature and make her a bit sweeter. They had some of their best moments together after they had a good buzz going, they’d even had a few instances of cuddling during their alcohol induced haze. He remembers those times fondly; he thinks back on them at times when they’re arguing or in the middle of a grudge holding session. Harry knew she’d never admit it, but deep down behind all her walls she really was a loving, sweet girl. She always had been yet her pride and fear of vulnerability would never let her admit it.

“Hello Harry, any reason you’ve broken into my place of work?” she tipped the glass back to her lips, taking another sip of her cocktail as she waited for his response. She watched him set his things down, shrugging his suit jacket off before rolling his sleeves to his elbows. “Saw you through the window, was workin’ late myself. Thought misery needed a bit of company, and knowing you I knew you’d probably need a designated driver for the night miss tequila.” He lifted his eyebrows in a slight teasing manner, a smile growing on her lips as she giggled quietly, raising her hands in surrender. “bad habits die hard, huh?” she retorted, the smile didn’t drop from her features and Harry loved it. She always had such a beautiful smile. Her plushy lips molded into the shape, her braces did their job giving her a perfect even smile. She had a genuine smile on, he could tell by the way it met her eyes that seemed to brighten when she was in a good mood. She was beautiful. He truly didn’t understand why she had always been so self-conscious. he hated when she’d talk negatively about her looks, weight, body etc. He’d always found her to be a very beautiful woman, and her strong personality amplified that even further.

“That they do miss Y/l/n, they do indeed.” He agreed with a nod, reaching his hand into the previously noted bag pulling out some bread, followed by small slices of cheese and finally a container of grapes. They both shared a love for the particular grouping of food, often having it for snack as kids or packing it when they went on little trips with their friends. It was their thing in a sense. He might amp it up a bit to feel a special bond with her in some way, even if it’s just over a love of the same foods.

“Brought some goodies, might share with you if you’re nice to m’.” Harry made himself comfortable on the couch, toeing off his shoes to leave him in his red dress socks. He liked to have accent colors when he dressed for work, often opting for pocket squares, socks or collar pins to tie together his outfits. He had decided early on just because he was in a work environment didn’t mean he had to dress boring, he worked in fashion for Christ sake so he enjoyed a bit of complimentary accessories. Tastefulness is key though, and he knew how to pick them right.

Y/n polished off her drink, reaching to pour herself another mixing it with a coffee straw she snagged from the kitchen during her original venture out. the woman shrugged slightly, taking a sip with a little smack of her lips at the strongness. She went a bit heavy on the tequila this time around.

“Eh, I’m on a diet anyway.” Her response amused Harry, chuckling lightly before popping a grape into his mouth. He always appreciated someone with a quick wit, and Y/n checked that box for him. He was starting to realize she checked most of his boxes regarding things he found attractive…and he wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

__

It was nearing midnight when Y/n started to show signs she was fully drunk. Her head bobbed slightly, body lightly swaying and Harry saw her eyes flutter every so often. He could read her like a book, he knew she was stressed, tired and wasted just from a single glance. The man found it quite cute, she looked so soft and cute when she was in this state. She radiated that type of energy that made you want to hug her; she wasn’t as guarded and flighty. She looked utterly trashed but relaxed and he didn’t mind the drunkenness if it meant she wasn’t as worked up as usual. She worked hard; the woman deserved to let loose once in a while.

“Hey, think it’s time to head out hmm?” Harry slowly sat up as he spoke, stretching with a few quiet pops of his joints. Y/n lifted her head slightly, giving him doe eyes and a pouty lip. “but I have work to do…” a hiccup sounded after she spoke, making her body jolt slightly. “It’ll be there on Monday, it’s late and you’re wasted love. C’mon time to go, hey don’t get all misty eyed on me it’s okay. Swear it’s alright, everything will get done.”

Harry frowned mid-way through his sentence seeing her eyes gloss with tears. She could be quite an emotional drunk, she bottled up her feelings 24/7 so in any sort of weakened state she began to crack. Harry had seen it only twice in the thirteen years of knowing her. The first time they were 15, she’d just broken up with her boyfriend at the time who was a total douche and he’d spent the six months the pair were together practically bullying the girl and mainly spending the time they had together fucking her. she had gotten absurdly drunk and walked to Harry’s home, sobbing and shaking only to spend the rest of the night cuddled into his chest. it was a toxic relationship and Harry always hated that guy; he gave the boy a few swift kicks to the ribs a few days after the incident. The second was during spring break, the pair were freshly 20 and someone had groped her at the club. Y/n had a panic attack on the bathroom floor and Harry sat with her the whole time, even though the filthy floor was sticky with booze and god knows what else he didn’t even think of leaving her behind.

Y/n took in a deep breath nodding her head slightly, letting Harry put the bottle back in it’s hiding spot and organize her papers before getting himself situated and heading to the car. With some episodes of tripping over her own feet and dizziness he’d managed to get her into the passenger seat, buckling her and joining her in the vehicle.

__

 “Y/n no, you can’t smash the window! Where are your house keys? Put the rock down”

Bargaining with someone who’s intoxicated was never easy, but he was worried about the woman chucking a random stone through her first-floor window instead of just unlocking the door. Drunk minds aren’t the soundest he supposed seeing as he was prying a rouge rock from y/ns hand.

Eventually the keys were located and used to forge entry into her modest town house. Unlike her parent’s y/n wasn’t into flashy mansions and cars. She didn’t see a purpose for such a large home when she was the only resident, plus it creeped her out knowing there would be more room for potential squatters if she had opted for an 8-bedroom 6-bath mansion like her parents had for the 3 of them. She was never someone who fancied showing off expensive thing, she found it tacky and risky because you’re flashing to people that you have expensive things to steal. So, when she purchased a home, she opted for a modest 2-bedroom town house and she really did love it.

Harry was greeted with a subtle scent of cedar and nutmeg, reminding him y/n always opted for fall themed candles and home fragrances. She felt it made places feel cozier and warmer. contrary to her guarded and sometimes cold personality, she always wanted her home to feel welcoming.

Her décor was nice, a large leather couch with some dark red throw pillows along with a fuzzy blanket folded and draped over the back of the furniture. Some arm chairs also filled the Livingroom, art hung evenly on the wall and a tv mounted right in the center of the adjacent wall. A nice area rug and coffee table really finished off the center room, it was an inviting set up and Harry had to resist the urge to sit on the large couch that seemed to be calling to him as he started walking her up the steps.

The bedframe groaned as she flopped herself down on her mattress, a content sigh leaving her lips as the woman kicked off her shoes. “mmmm love my bed, missed it.” The woman placed an affectionate pet to her pillow, Harry laughing slightly at her antics whilst searching her dresser for clothes to change her into. Pinching a pair of sleep shorts and a tshirt before tossing it on the bed making his way into her bathroom so she could change in private.

Once the girl was situated, he reappeared, picking up her dirty clothes and putting them in her hamper for her. everything was going well, they weren’t fighting and she seemed to really be enjoying his presence but because Harrys an idiot he had to ruin it.

“maybe if you weren’t such a raging bitch, I wouldn’t have to come take you home and you’d have a boyfriend who could huh?”

He intended it to be their playful teasing, how they usually pick on each other and make rude comments but it came across harsher than intended. He sounded utterly mean and spiteful, and after Y/n had spent the evening warming up to him and even enjoying his company that felt like a smack in the face. Just when she thought maybe he’d changed or wasn’t so bad he had to make a comment, picking a topic she was already very sensitive about because all her previous relationships were very abusive and put her in the position she was in now of being so guarded and cold she was left to a life of loneliness.

There was a beat of silence, Harry registering his tone and how he’d just switched the atmosphere entirely. There was no sense of playfulness anymore, just hurt and anger. He regretted ever opening his mouth, seeing the woman look away from him with veins visible on her neck from the restraint she was using to hold back her tears. She cursed herself for drinking, it always made her more sensitive and she felt like a fool for not seeing Harry was just waiting for her to become vulnerable so he could strike back even when truly it wasn’t his intention, his actions left her with only that theory to believe.

Y/n cleared her throat and shot him the best glare she could while her eyes burned with tears begging to escape. “You can see yourself out Harry.” The dismissal was curt and quiet, there was no option for bargaining or pleading because she didn’t want to hear anything else he had to say. Harry knew when to pick his battles with her so he knew it was best he left, sighing slightly before leaving the bedroom making sure he locks her front door for her on his way out. he’s never wanted to beat his own ass so bad in his life.

__

 As much as Y/n tried to hide it under her cold, blunt exterior- she was extremely insecure and broken inside. She never learned how to express her emotions or hurt. Y/n never had parents there to guide her nor comfort her in her times of need. She’d never had anyone who cared about her to look out for her besides neglectful nannies who left her to her own devices most of her childhood. She was emotionally stunted, and it had made her vulnerable to shitty people her whole life. It led to her having a 17-year-old boyfriend when she was 13 that pressured her into losing her virginity and emotionally abused her the entirety of their year long illegal relationship. It put her in the position of having a revolving door of toxic abusive relationships with cruel boys who treated her poorly, her father was never around so she never had an example of a good man so she resorted to getting attention and validation in whatever form she could even when it was harmful and a façade to use her body and status. The woman was never taught how to handle her emotions and it led to her clawing for control in any way she could, any sort of distraction and turned her to dark, destructive behaviors in her teen years that still haunt her in the form of physical and mental scars now that she’s in her adult years. She’d practically had to raise herself, and now that she’s grown, she’s running the company that stole her parents from her. she can’t tell who she hates more, her parents or herself.

Harrys word seemed to pop the stitches on an internal wound she thought was close to healing. While he was joking, she couldn’t tell. It was said with such a bitter malice it made her skin crawl. Sure, they’ve been mean to each other for 13 years but in her vulnerable state and the knowledge he had of her past his words seemed deliberate and cruel for the sole purpose of hurting her. not a stupid joke like he’d intended.

She couldn’t get it out of her head, she spent the remainder of the weekend nursing her hangover and a wounded soul. Her mind was screaming self-hating words, cruel statements towards herself and pushing her to look for comfort in another person again even when she knew she was vulnerable to falling back into the arms of yet another man who wasn’t good for her but she couldn’t bring herself to care enough about herself to make the best choices for her. she felt like she had something to prove to Harry, herself and the universe that she wasn’t so horrible that no one could stand to be around her even if the person she chose only stuck around to leech off her. it was a stupid mindset, one that’s left her torn to shreds numerus times since her early teenage years but the spiral Harrys verbal bite sent her into had her internally turning back into 14-year-old y/n who just wanted to feel like she mattered. She was setting herself up for pain again, she knew it. But like she stated before, old habits die hard.

and y/n decided she must be a glutton for punishment when her fingers started typing in the familiar number of her ex.

[and-justice-for-zoisite]

𝔻𝕣𝕦𝕟𝕜 𝕨𝕠𝕣𝕕𝕤 𝕒𝕣𝕖 𝕤𝕠𝕓𝕖𝕣 𝕥𝕙𝕠𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 (𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚍 𝟾 𝚡 𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛)

Summary: After the discovery of the connection between humans and engineers through their DNA, the crew decides that it’d be best celebrated with a party. However, the reader has a low tolerance for alcohol, and ends up saying a little more than she intended to about the android on board.

Warning/s: Drunk reader, cursing

Original Request: I would like to have a request of David 8 x Reader! The crew members on Prometheus had decided to have a small party together, and everyone on the ship was having fun. Unfortunately, our reader is not really good at drinking. Being a bit tipsy, she starts to confess her feelings toward David as well as other lovely nonsense. Later on David send her to bed, and the day after, the reader suffers from a severe hangover. (p.s. Hope this can save you from self isolation, I love you!💕) You are one of the most lovely readers I have ever met, thank you so much for making this request it’s so adorable! I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! @jenna-art​ 

(Side Note: Millburn and Fifield are alive and with the crew for this)

~~~~

“We have come so far as simple people, and for that, I’d like to make a toast,” Elizabeth Shaw held up her glass of wine, while the crew that surrounded her held up a variety of different drinks, which had been served to them by the android on board, David, “To Prometheus.”

“To Prometheus!”

Everyone drank to the toast, at least half of their drinks before they all cheered and split off into different groups to enjoy the party. Why was there a party on a ship designed specifically for a scientific expedition? Because the occasion was of paramount importance. The crew of Prometheus had just come back from their first exploration with DNA from an engineer, that, when ran through texting, came back as a match to human DNA. This was a very big and significant step in history over all, even though they hadn’t found exactly what they were looking for yet. It was a proud moment for Dr Shaw and her partner, Charlie Holloway, and they saw that the occasion deserved a party. And with a lot of trying to convince Meredith Vickers, and back up from the rest of the eager crew, the Weyland Corporation representative finally agreed to allow them this bit of fun. 

The crew was separated into a few different groups on their own free wills. The captain, Janek, created a group with himself, the other pilots and Vickers, A biologist on board, Dr Millburn, was trying desperately to make conversation with the uninterested Geologist Fifield and some of his associates, Dr Ford seemed to float around the groups politely, and The two Head scientists, Shaw and Holloway sat with the robotic engineer of the ship, (Y/n) (L/n).

(Y/n) was a sweet little lady. She was stationed on Prometheus for the primary purpose of maintaining the android, David. He was the first of his model, and needed to have maintenance done every now and then along with the monthly check up. She wasn’t put into Cryosleep for this fact alone, and had grown rather fond of the synthetic. Perhaps...too fond. Although she wouldn’t admit it herself, there was something in that lovely heart of hers for the artificial man.

In her hand was a crystal cup filled with a bourbon-cola mix, a drink that didn’t do her too well in terms of intoxication, but it was supposed to be a good night, so she’d allow herself to become tipsy if that was the way to have a good time. Shaw and Holloway had different drinks to her. They had both settled for a fruity red wine, probably because they wanted to drink with class, but the fact that they had chosen differently to (Y/n) didn’t bother her, and would never have bothered her even if the entire ship chose to ‘drink with class’, she simply did what made her happy. 

While engaged in conversation about home with the two doctors, (Y/n) had managed to finish her drink, and from across the room did David spot her empty crystal cup as if he could sense when she required his presence. Ever since he had met the lady, he’d felt the urge, the need to follow her around like an obedient Labrador, coming to her every beck and call and over all ensuring she was always in a good mood. Her happiness had somehow become the synthetics priority, he wasn’t aware of how, but he knew that if she wasn’t happy then he wasn’t happy. Some sort of bond maybe, he wasn’t sure. But for now, his single motive was to give the lady a refill.

With a tray of various bottles of drink, David prodded on over like an obedient mutt, and found himself beside her, leaning in slightly so he could speak to her clearly.

“Another drink, Miss?” He asked politely, (Y/n) turning slightly with a small smile to face him.  “Just another bourbon, love,” She replied, holding her cup out slightly so he’d have a better access to it. Carefully, the man placed the tray down onto the table that the three humans were sat at before screwing the top of the bourbon-cola bottle off and pouring the lady a drink. “Thank you, David,” she thanked in her sweet voice, that very same voice that made David’s insides twist and turn.  “How are you enjoying tonight?” He asked as he screwed the lid back onto the bottle, then placing the bottle back onto the tray. “I’m enjoying tonight thoroughly. What about you, love?” (Y/n) asked, the man’s smile only growing as he got all giddy on the inside for the fact that his favorite person asked but a simple question. “I’m enjoying it as long as you are, Miss (Y/n),” He responded with a grin that made the lady’s tummy turn in a flustered way, “I shall return when you require another refill.”

With that, David walked off to serve the other members of the ship, (Y/n) watching him as he did so with a slight mist over her eyes. Holloway leaned over the table slightly, with a small arch in one of his brows, “Call me crazy, but...I think Pinocchio has a crush on you (L/n),” He pointed out with the smallest hint of confusion in his voice, (Y/n) shaking herself out of her small daze to face the man. “Don’t be silly Holloway, he’s a machine,” She had started the sentence with the intention to poke fun at what Holloway had said, laughing a little, but it quickly plunged to a sort of depressed tone as she began speaking again, “he can’t feel anything, he never will.” (Y/n) rested her cheek in one hand as she slumped over the table and sighed, seemingly staring at the wall behind Holloway and Shaw as the couple looked at each other confused and then looked at her.  “You don’t...” Shaw began, hoping that the question wasn’t at all weird, “You don’t happen to have feelings for him, do you (Y/n)?” When Elizabeth asked the question, (Y/n)’s eyes shot open from half lid and met Shaw’s. “What?” She asked, as if she hadn’t heard the question. But she heard it alright, she heard it loud and clear.  “I mean, I don’t mean to be intrusive, not at all! It’s just...” Shaw was at a loss of words to describe what her thoughts were, but (Y/n) knew what she was talking about. “Yeah, I know what you mean...” She sighed, looking over at the android as she took another sip of her drink, “I don’t know, he’s just...he’s so human that it’s hard not to feel anything towards him. Two years we spent alone together...he’s such a lovely man. A witty gentleman. It makes me wish they never put any skin on him so I wouldn’t have fallen victim to his looks either,” She leaned back in her chair with a loud sigh and covered her face with one hand, “I’m an absolute bloody mess.” Once again, Shaw and Holloway looked at each other and then looked back at (Y/n). While Charlie was at a complete loss for words, Elizabeth knew that she simply needed to comfort her female friend and take her mind off of her complicated love life.  “Naw, cheer up, would ya? We’re gonna have a good night (Y/n), and we’re gonna do that by drinking it right away, alright?”  When Shaw said that, (Y/n) uncovered her face and looked at the red-haired woman. Within a few seconds, her small frown turned up into a smile and she leaned forward once more. “Alright then.”

~

“A-and then what did ya do?” 

“I punched that wanker square in the fuckin’ nose!”

The now piss-drunk Elizabeth and (Y/n) were curled up close next to each other on one of the sofa chairs, telling home stories and laughing like their was no tomorrow with one of their arms around the other lady and the other holding their drinks. They were causing the most noise in that moment, with their loud cheery laughter, not that anyone but David seemed to care. Everyone else was either half as drunk as them or equally as drunk but much calmer. Charlie and Millburn were passed out at separate tables, Vickers and Janek were getting a little bit close, and everyone else was simply relaxing. The reason that David was worried was that he knew that (Y/n) didn’t have a very high tolerance to alcohol from a story she’d told him about a party she’d gone to as a teenager where she threw up everywhere after having one too many drinks. While it was told about her as a teenager, she’d also said that her tolerance seemed to remain the same all the way through to adulthood. He didn’t want her to have to experience that sensation again, but he also didn’t want to force her out of the good time she was having. So, he’d try to convince her.

With calm intentions, David approached the two ladies, and when (Y/n) saw him, her eyes seemed to light up. “David! I missed you!” She chirped on slurred words before taking another long sip of her drink.  This time she was holding a fireball cinnamon whiskey-apple cider mix, and if bourbon didn’t do her well then whiskey wasn’t going to be any better.  “Miss (Y/n), I hope that’s your last drink,” David said, looking at the crystal cup she’d been holding for the whole night. “Hey, don’t police me on my drinks,” She began, hiccuping mid sentence, “I’m here to have a good time.” “Of course, Miss, but do you not remember that your alcohol tolerance isn’t as high as most?” He said, taking the drink gently out of her hand before replacing it with his hand as he knelt down in front of her, “I only wish for you to get to bed safely.” (Y/n)’s face contorted into that of anger, and David was sure that she was going to demand for her drink back. But boy was he wrong.

“Why are you so goddamn beautiful?!” She nearly yelled, pinching both his cheeks with her hands. The android was very much taken a back, and had no idea what to say. Elizabeth simply giggled like a mad-man while David searched (Y/n)’s eyes. “I beg your pardon?” He asked, not being sure if he understood what was being asked of him.  “Why? Why are you so freaking beautiful?” She cupped both his cheeks and squished them together as she brought his face closer to hers, “Do you have any idea what you do to me just by existing David?? You drive me right up the wall! Crazy, Damn it! Crazy!”

David swore he felt his entire body shut down and restart. He didn’t know what to do or how to feel about the situation. Hearing Elizabeth begin to cackled louder would’ve made him blush if he were capable of, but instead, he simply took (Y/n)’s hands off of his face and held them in his own. She was very much drunk, and he knew he shouldn’t take advantage of the situation. 

“I think it’s best you go to bed now, Miss.” 

“No, c’mon just one more drink,” (Y/n) whined, pulling out of David’s grip and standing up, stumbling on over to the table that the tray of drinks was placed on. “Yeah, c’mon David, let the belle have one more,” Elizabeth agreed, her face flushed as red as (Y/n)’s as an indication that she was just as drunk. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Miss,” David said in a worried voice as he followed behind her. “Sure it is, I won’t even go too hard, just some tequila and I’ll go to bed,” she sighed, reaching the table and placing her cup onto it as she grabbed the bottle and began carelessly unscrewing the cap. “You’ll have exceeded your limit by doing that,” David tried convincing, standing behind her, “Please, Miss, I’d prefer that you went to bed now.” Once (Y/n) had poured her glass, she grabbed it and turned around, only to crash into David and spill the drink on both of their chests. David steadied her so she didn’t fall, and she seemed to have a look of sadness on her face. “Naw, see, look what you made me do,” She wined, attempting to turn around only to have the android grip her arms tightly to stop her, “You’re lucky I love you, or I would’ve taken you right the fuck out.” “I have a feeling that we could’ve avoided that mistake if you weren’t so intoxicated,” David sighed, the woman shaking one of her arms free as it wrapped around her body and grabbed the bottle behind her.  “I’m only human, David. And a lot of the time, I wish you were too,” she said before escaping his grip and stumbling back on over to the couch before plopping back on and curling up close next to Elizabeth.

David only stood their for a moment, thinking about what she’d said. There was so many meanings that that sentence could’ve had, but he seemed to stick to only one of the meanings. She had feelings for him. He wasn’t entirely sure how to process that, heck, he wasn’t even sure if he’d interpreted it correctly. But then he began to think of his own behavior. Maybe...maybe there was an excuse for his sudden need to come to her every beck and call. Maybe he...

There was a sudden smashing sound from behind him, David spinning around quickly to see that (Y/n) had dropped the bottle on the ground. There was no liquid however, indicating that she’d finished the bottle before she dropped it. That was something to worry over, considering it was half-full when she took it. 

“Oh dear...” David mumbled as he walked on over, just in time for (Y/n) to stand up and begin trying to pick up the many shards.  She crouched down and placed her hands onto the ground to steady herself, which resulted in a large glass shard jabbing into her palm. (Y/n) lifted her hand to look at it, but took no note as she began picking the pieces up. David crouched down beside her and tried to make her drop the pieces by grabbing her wrists.  “You’ve had enough for tonight, Miss, we’d best get you to bed,” He said, the girl dropping the glass shards and making an annoyed face. “No...n-no, I’m fine...” (Y/n) slurred with half lidded eyes as she tried picking up the glass shards once again. “Please, I’m only suggesting this for your safety,” He pressed on, only to have the woman shoulder shove him away weakly, dropping the glass she’d collected again. “I said I’m fi-”

Before she could finish her sentence, the many drinks that she had consumed that night came rushing up her throat and gushing out onto the floor in front of her. David had seen this coming, and only placed his hand on her back and patted it gently to encourage her to be sick until she felt better. The people who were a lot less intoxicated stared at her like she was a freak, which would’ve been more embarrassing to her if she had a clear mind. Her throw-up had lasted about 20 seconds before she stopped. As soon as she did, David knelt down on one knee and scooped her up into his arms bridal style, standing up once again. (Y/n) didn’t fight it, she only breathed heavily, allowing her head to rest on the android’s alcohol covered chest. David didn’t say anything as he stepped over the glass-vomit mix and began walking toward the lady’s sleeping quarters. 

It wasn’t that big of a walk, so within maybe a minute or two, the android arrived at (Y/n)’s room. He managed to open the door, awkwardly but successfully, before walking in and gently placing the woman onto her bed. He wasn’t sure if he was to change her clothing or not. Her pants would be fine to sleep in, but her uniform jacket and under-shirt were covered in tequila and spotted with a bit of her throw-up. David didn’t want to violate her while she slept, but also didn’t want to let her sleep in an uncomfortably wet shirt. (Y/n) was still awake, but barely, so he’d ask her.

“Miss, do you mind if I change your shirt?” He asked in a soft voice, the lady’s eyes opening a little more at the sound of another’s voice. “Huh?” She replied in a barely audible voice. “Your shirt, Miss, it’s covered in alcohol. Would you like me to change it for you?” He asked once more. “...yes please,” she exhaled, the android nodding as he walked over to her closet and opened it. After a bit of rummaging, he managed to find a large white shirt, one that looked very much comfortable to sleep in. So, he took it and walked back over to the bed, placing it to the side before he leaned over and tended to (Y/n). First, he unbuttoned her work jacket, moving her arms through the arm holes and taking it off of her before chucking it in the laundry basket near the door. He then instructed her to sit up, to which she did with a decent amount of struggle. Grabbing the bottom of her white under shirt, David lifted the clothing item up and over her head, doing what he did with the jacket and chucking it into the laundry basket. Now, he was left with her torso undergarment, a basic white bra. It, too was soaked in tequila, but he wasn’t sure if she was alright with him removing it. That was when he got a decent idea. 

In his same, soft voice, David instructed her to turn around, so she did, but with much struggle. Now, with her back facing him, he un-clipped her bra and threw it into the laundry basket. Then, he grabbed the large t-shirt, and asked for her to raise her arms. When she did, he slipped it over her head and adjusted it so that it was on properly. Now that she was dressed, he knelt with one knee on the bed while still standing up off of it and made her lay down properly on her bed. He then went to her feet and removed her boots and socks, placing them to the side of her bed. Once that was done, he approached her side once more, this time to help her to get under her covers. That took a few moments, but they managed. Soon enough she was comfortable, and when she was, David sat beside her on her bed and simply stared at her. Her eyes were shut now, which came to no surprise since she had certainly had a big night. But what she had said earlier came back to David’s mind, and he was once again puzzled. 

“I’m only human, David. And a lot of the time, I wish you were too.”

Part of those words kind of hurt him, made him feel like he wasn’t enough for her. But maybe she was hurting too, maybe she thought that their connection was nothing more than a waste. In his opinion, it certainly wasn’t. He enjoyed every second that they got to spend together, and was always thinking of her when she wasn’t around. He just wished that she’d see that he’s much more than a machine, that he was capable of wanting something, of caring for someone. Of loving. After all, the thing he was designed to be closest to is human. 

But David couldn’t let it get to him that night, he needed to let (Y/n) sleep. So, with a gentle kiss to the forehead, he got up and he left to go clean up her mess.

~

(Y/n) woke up with a loud groan and a splitting headache the next morning. The lady couldn’t help the ‘oh god’s she mumbled as she sat up under her sheets, taking in her surroundings. She was in her room, not that she remembered how she got their, but she assumed that she’d gotten a little too drunk and one of the crew members had to take her to her room. Her headache, however, was telling her that she’d gotten a lot more than a little too drunk though, but all she craved in that moment was water.

At the sound of her door opening, (Y/n) jumped, startled at the sudden movement. She was relieved when David was revealed from behind it, a cup of water and some panadol capsules in his hands. The synthetic walked up to the side of her bed and placed the cup of water on her bed-side table.

“How do you feel this morning, Miss?” He asked, (Y/n) rubbing her eyes as David handed her two panadol capsules. “Like shit. How drunk did I get? I don’t remember,” She sighed, taking the medicine before placing it in her mouth. “Very. You dropped an empty bottle of tequila and then threw up all over the broken glass,” He explained, handing her the water.  She took a sip and swallowed the pills before placing it back down on the bed-side table. “God, I’m so sorry David,” She apologised, flopping back onto her back, “I’m such a fucking loser.” “I beg to differ. You said some sweet things while you were under influence,” David contradicted, (Y/n) turning her head slightly to look at him. “Yeah? Like what?” She asked, very doubtful of what he was trying to say. “Well, you asked me why I was so beautiful, in a very angered tone,” he recounted, the lady’s face flushing red as her eyes widened, “interesting terminology, but I was still certainly flattered. And then you bumped into me with a full drink and it splashed on both of use. You said I was lucky that you loved me, or you would’ve started a fight with me. Other than that, you were your usual sweet self.” (Y/n)’s face was a dark beet red, and she didn’t know what to say. David saw this and couldn’t help but smirk. “Why so quiet, Miss? You were much more talkative last night,” He teased, the woman huffing as she turned to face away from him. “Shut it, you,” she grumbled, “who programmed you to be such a smart-ass anyways?” “You’re the one who said you loved me,” he continued, sitting on the bed next to her. “I was drunk David,” she pointed out, the man fake pouting as he laid down next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, leaning his face into her neck to which she felt her heart skip about a million beats as she stiffened up. “So you don’t love me?” He asked, (Y/n)’s breath hitching in her throat at the feeling of his breath against her neck. “...I never said that,” she countered, David chuckling quietly as he nestled in closer to her.  “You’re such a child,” He whispered, the lady huffing once more as she spun around in his arms and cuddled in closer to him. “Just shut up and cuddle me.” David chuckled once more before he closed his eyes and relaxed with her in his arms. “Yes ma’am.”

~

A/N: I hope you enjoyed! I wish I could’ve gotten this out sooner, but my shoulder was unfortunately dislocated last week, which has made it harder for me to write properly. But I’m now out of my sling, so all should be well! Don’t forget to check out my Character list and go make more requests! Feed my boredom damn it.

[blackmissfrizzle]

Mate

Summary: Derek reveals the real reason he avoids the reader.

Pairing: Derek Hale x black!reader

Warnings: Mentions of smut & violence

A/N: My Derek fic is finally finished! Now I gotta work on Peter’s

Moving to Beacon Hills wasn’t your choice. Your mom told you she had a dream and that Beacon Hills is where you’ll find your destiny. She was right, well at least you think she was. It’s hard to tell when your destiny refuses to spend time with you.

The first day you got to town you bumped into him. You just walked out of the gas station when you saw a group of familiar hunters harass him and vandalized his car. Immediately, you knew he was a werewolf if the hunters were messing with him, but you weren’t gonna let them treat him like that.

Your family was probably the only group of hunters who didn’t have an immediate distaste for werewolves and thanks to that you were blessed. A long time ago, an ancestor of yours saved a werewolf, who was being framed for murders in his village. Grateful for his compassion, the werewolf’s witch lover casted a spell on your bloodline. It allowed your family to be enhanced: faster, stronger, faster healing, and better sight and smell. Basically, your family was like Buffy the Vampire Slayer for werewolves. Except, most of the time you spent protecting werewolves instead of hunting them. The only time you hunted them were when there was strong evidence that one was killing people, like the Alpha here in Beacon Hills.

So, when you saw hunters messing with him, knowing he couldn’t do anything about without putting himself at risk, you had to do something. Just a flash of your new deputy badge and an utterance of your renowned last name had them scattering. And you what did you get in a return? A gruff thank you and he drove off without giving you his name.

Derek Hale was his name. You learned it the next day, when Chris Argent came to your house. The only Argent you’ve ever met was Kate and you couldn’t stand her, but her brother didn’t seem too bad, just another judgmental hunter. Kate on the other hand seemed certifiable crazy.

He warned you there was an alpha werewolf running loose and killing people, and he would love to have a hunter of your caliber to help him hunt the thing down. You declined his offer in a heartbeat. After working with his sister once you vowed to never to work with an Argent again.

The next time you saw Derek Hale was when him looking half dead and your boss’s son showed up on your doorstep. He been shot by Kate and the poison was working through him.

While Stiles raided your kitchen for snacks, you inspected Derek’s wound. Being that close to him, you got a better smell of his scent and it was intoxicating despite the poison in his blood. As you inspected it, he leaned in closer to you and you could’ve sworn he growled, “Mine,” but you disregarded it.

Unfortunately, you didn’t have what you needed to cure him, so you had to wait for Scott to find it at the Argent’s household. And in true Scott fashion he showed up at the last minute with the cure.

The downfall of Derek Hale is he’s a grumpy and pushes people away. You noticed it when you first met him, you noticed it with his interactions with Stiles, and you noticed it after he got smart right after Scott just saved his life. His disposition didn’t make him the easiest to trust, so you understood why Scott would rather trust the Argents. But both you and Derek knew the truth about them. They were a dangerous group of hunters.

Surprisingly, Derek dragged you along with him to show Scott the truth about the Argents. The three of you, ended up in a hospital room that housed Derek’s injured uncle. After Chris Argent told you about Derek, you looked him up at work and found out about the fire that killed his family. You had no doubt the Argents had a hand in it.

Soon after that, Derek and you spent more time together. Most of the time, you two were trying to figure out who the alpha was, but it was still quality time. He even let you talk him into watching a movie with you once.

With you, Derek wasn’t his usual grumpy self. He was reserved, never really opening up to you, but he could be really kind. The only time he seemed to cop an attitude with you was when you talked about the lawyer, who was always flirting with you.

That’s how you ended up at the Hale house. Last night you got stood up by lawyer bae and when you bumped into him at the grocery store, he scurried off. There’s only one person you know that makes people run off like that and his name is Derek Hale.

The tirade you had planned died out as soon as you saw Derek’s bare back as he was doing pull-ups on the doorframe.

“Well,” he said as his only acknowledgment to you. He didn’t even turn back to look at you, when he jumped down to do some impressive one-armed push-ups.

You didn’t like being ignored, so you sat on his back hoping to mess up his push-ups. Did it work? No. But were you impressed? Hell yeah! You weren’t a light chick; you had a curvier body that most wouldn’t think could keep up in the hunter lifestyle.

“Well what?” You asked, getting tired of only hearing his grunts, which by the way gave you some very naughty thoughts but that’s beside the point.

“You gonna cuss me out or what? I can smell your anger,” he held his push-up as he thought if he should finish his sentence, “…and other things.”

“What other things?” Your voice went up an octave.

Abruptly, Derek stopped his push-ups, jumped to his feet, and caught you before you could tumble to the ground. For balance you had to wrap your arms around his neck and your legs around his waist.

This was the closest to his face you’ve ever been to his face. Derek was even more beautiful up close. Unconsciously, you ran your nose along the length of his neck, and he smelled amazing, but there was something underneath his natural scent. Taking another sniff, you knew what you were smelling. It was arousal. Derek was aroused and you think you had a hand in it.

Smiling down at you, he asked. “Like what you’re smelling?” Derek Hale should smile more because it was dazzling.

“No! You stink!” You tried to unwrap yourself from him, but he gripped you tighter and put you against the wall. There was no guessing if he was aroused, because you could feel it between your legs and boy was it big.

“Aren’t you tired of this little dance?” Derek’s face was getting dangerously close to yours and if he got any closer you wouldn’t be responsible for what you did next.

“What dance,” you asked, entranced by his lips.

Gripping your chin, so your eyes met his, Derek replied, “The one where we pretend, we’re not attracted to each other.”

Since, he was so closed off, you tried to ignore your feelings for him, but never in a million years did you think Derek felt the same. “When did you-,” abruptly Derek covered your mouth to silence you. It was a little faint to you, but to Derek you knew the sound of 3 hunters were crisp to him.

Quickly, he bounded up the stairs and stuffed you in a closet. “Stay here.”

Apparently, your face said that you weren’t gonna listen, because Derek had to repeat himself with his blue eyes glowing.

From what you heard, Derek took down the first two hunters with ease, but the third caught him off guard. Focusing your hearing, the hunter’s voice became clear. It was fucking Kate Argent. Now there was no way you were staying put.

“Put it down,” you ordered while drawing your gun.

“Wow, you really are here. I thought Chris was lying when he said you moved to town and working as a deputy. What a waste of talent. We could really use your help tracking down the Alpha.” The thing about Kate that irked you the most was that she always had that stupid smug smirk on her face and right now, you wanted to knock it off.

Ignoring her, you looked over her shoulder to Derek, “You ok?”

“I thought I told you to stay in the closet.” Derek’s ungrateful ass growled at you. That’s why you can never do him a favor.

Kate looked between you two. “Oh, am I interrupting a lover’s quarrel?”

At the same time, both of you said, “We’re not dating.”

Kate turned to you, ignoring the gun you had in your hand. “Just between us girls, me and him dated once.” Her little revelation left you stunned to the point where you didn’t notice her pull out the machine gun.

Derek threw you over his shoulder and ran to the woods. Once, he felt there was enough distance he stopped and set you down. “Are you hurt?”

“No,” you answered, but it didn’t matter. Derek was inspecting your body making sure there were no wounds. Eventually, he was satisfied, and he hugged you like he never wanted to let go.

“I can’t believe I thought this could work,” Derek whispered to himself, letting you go.

His pacing made you feel bad. There was only one emotion you were truly used to see Derek have, which was anger. But to see him nervous made you nervous.

To qualm his and your nerves, you tried to hug him, but he shrugged out of it. “That can’t happen. We can’t happen!”

“Why not?” You shouted. This was the first time you acknowledged to Derek that you were indeed attracted to him.

“Because everything good in my life ends up dead! Most of my family, my sister, and if you keep hanging around me, it’ll be you too eventually. I can’t let my mate die because of me.”

Mate? A werewolf having a soulmate was just a myth. Derek had to be confused. “Excuse me, did you just say mate?”

Derek looked up at you from his spot on the ground. “Don’t look at me like that. You’re my mate.”

“Derek that’s impossible. There hasn’t been a mated bond in centuries and its only between two werewolves, not one,” you tried to reason with him.

Hopping to his feet, Derek stalked towards you until your back hit the tree and he trapped you. “When did you meet me?”

The heat coming off of him was too much, you had to look down at your feet to be comfortable to answer. “The first day I moved here.”

Firmly gripping your chin, Derek forced you to look at him. “And since that day, has there been a day you haven’t thought about me? Because I can tell you, I’ve thought about you every single fucking day since that day at the gas station. Do you know how much restraint it took me not to kill Dale? What kind of name is Dale and who would even name their kid that?” Derek rambled on.

Was Derek actually jealous? To test your theory, you decided to test his buttons. “I don’t know. I think Dale is a cute name and it fits him so perfectly. Like have you seen him smile? It’s a work of art. I’m really upset that I didn’t go on that date with him.”

Derek was sporting his signature scowl and you had to stop yourself from laughing. It was too easy to rile him up. “Mines,” he growled and this time there was no tricking yourself that you misheard him this time.

Your mom did tell you your destiny was in Beacon Hills and you believed it was Derek, but you didn’t think it would mean him being your mate. When you found out about Derek, you thought you were to help him find the Alpha that killed his sister and maybe break him out of that hard shell of his, but being his mate was something that never crossed your mind.

The mate bond hasn’t happened in so long most thought it was a myth. And it certainly didn’t occur between a werewolf and a human. The closest connection between a werewolf and a human was for the human to be an anchor.

The mate bond is just a much stronger version of an anchor. A werewolf could share a telepathic bond with their mate, but more importantly it made each wolf physically stronger. It had to do something about the two wolves becoming one and complimenting each other strengths and weaknesses.  

Logically, it made no sense for you and Derek to be mates. What strengths did you have that he already didn’t?

“You make me a better person,” Derek interrupted your thoughts.

“Excuse me?”

“There’s no doubt I can be asshole, but you straighten me out. You mellow me out. I’m a lot more sympathetic than I used to be. It doesn’t matter if I can break a door down, you are by far the strongest of us two.”

Derek had you shook. How did he know what you were thinking? “Did you uh- did you um, read my mind?”

“Yeah, um, sorry. I didn’t mean to. Our connection can be so strong at times and it lets us share a telepathic bond.”

“So, you mean to tell me that we’re not even properly mated yet, but we’re already sharing the telepathic bond!? And you still want to keep me away!?” You shrieked. You were in disbelief because a telepathic bond between mates only occurred after they’re formally mated, and it happens only to the strongest of mates. Thus, Derek Hale was royally fucking up.

Gripping your chin tightly, Derek made you look at him. “It’s for your own good. Even being friends with me is risky and I don’t think I’ll survive if something happens.”

Pissed that Derek thought you were some fragile little being, you decided to give him no choice but to be with you. “I guess I’ll just have to call Dale and screw his brains out. At least he’ll appreciate me.”

Barely five steps to your car and Derek tackled you to the ground. He hovered over you fully wolfed out.

“Aww, is the big bad wolf mad,” you mocked him, making him wrap his hand around your throat and lifting you up to him. “Last time I’ll tell you this: you’re mines.”

Five simple five words sparked something in him. “Then prove it to me.” Derek flipped you over on your knees and pulled you flushed against him.

He trailed kisses down your neck until he abruptly stopped. “If I wasn’t so picky about our first time, I’d fuck you right here and show you who you belong to.” Derek claimed before lifting you to your feet.

Once he heard the hunters leave, he walked you back to your car silently. “How about this Friday we go to an early dinner and then go to Scott’s game?” Derek offered once you got back to your car.

You smiled up at him, happy he was finally coming to his senses. “And Stiles’,” you corrected him.

Immediately Derek’s face went sour at the mention of the goofy teen. “Admit it, you love him.”

“He’s annoying.”

“He’s cute.”

“He’s a pain in my ass.”

“You’re a pain in my ass.”

Derek’s forehead crinkled at the insult. “Fine. We’ll go to dinner then to Scott’s and Stiles’ game.”

“Great and you’ll be nicer to both of the boys,” you negotiated.

“We’re not even together and you’re already bossing me around.” Derek groaned, rubbing his temple.

Punching him in the shoulder, you scoffed, “I’ve been bossing you around, I just had to be more manipulative before.”

“True.” Derek leaned down and kissed you. “Well, as part of my demands, you can’t talk to Dale anymore.”

“Fine. It was your fault I was talking to him anyway. If you would’ve told me sooner, then I wouldn’t have to worry about him.”

“Fair point,” Derek ushered you into your car. “Call me when you get home and if you see Kate in public please don’t say anything to her.”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’ll just beat her ass instead.”

Derek smacked his forehead at your stubbornness. “Y/N,” he growled. “Aren’t we teaching Scott how to control himself?”

“Yeah, what’s that gotta do with me?” Your upper lip snarled like you smelled a dead animal.

“Then shouldn’t you be a good example by showing control?”

Nodding your head side to side, you thought about your answer. “Yeah, I’ll show control by not beating her ass in front of Scott and her niece. How about that?”

Giving up on the conversation, Derek gave you a kiss on the cheek through your window. “Remember to call me. I don’t trust them not to attack you since they know you’re on my side.”

“I will.” You secured yourself with the seatbelt and stared at Derek, pondering if you really wanted to say what was on your tongue. Making your decision, you went for it as you put your car in drive. “Bye, mate.”

Derek’s eyes flashed blue and he returned the same departing words with a smile. “Bye, mate.”

Tags: @twistedcharismaaa​ @titty-teetee​ @chaneajoyyy​ @chasingsunlight @black-is-beautiful18​ @princessshanae14​ @pananegra​ @missdforever​

[johannstutt413]

(requested by calligomiles; related to this but maybe not the same timeline)

“Hey, Nat, it’s Independence Day.” Sonya, sitting across the dining room table from the heiress, set down her book to address her. “We should go to the bar tonight.”

“Hmm...I agree. Rada’s unavailable, but Anna should be free.” She, likewise, closed her book and went to get her coat.

Zima shrugged. “Sure, she can come along. Things are still a bit messy, but it’s a holiday. She can find it in herself to forgive me for one night.”

“I hope you don’t mind sharing that pardon with me when you get it,” Rosa replied. “The day after you told her the news, I could feel her eyes boring into the back of my neck during our shift in the office together.”

“If he’s really that busy, the Doctor might want to stop rotating his assistants around. Can you go invite her?”

She smirked. “I never thought I’d see you scared of one of our own.”

“Between the two of us, and without Rada here, you’re the face she’d want to see more.” The General went back to their room to change. “Text me when you’re on your way back.”

“Yes, ‘General.’” Natalya tossed a bit of sarcasm in her parting shot as she left.

Istina responded to a knock on her door by looking through the peephole...and there was Rosa. Hmm. “Can I help you?”

“Tonight, not particularly.” The heiress mimed tossing back a shot. “The General and I are going to the bar to celebrate Independence Day. Will you join us?”

“You really want to celebrate our freedom while our brothers and sisters bleed to secure it? Rather optimistic, don’t you think? Nonetheless, I’ll come along; I finished my novel, and I can’t quite start the next one yet.” The advisor reached for her coat, hanging on the wall beside her door, before joining the homewrecker in the hallway as she texted her girlfriend…

To say the situation was ‘tense’ between Anna and the couple was a massive understatement; it’d be more accurate to say the relationship survived through the sheer weight of their shared history, which admittedly only made the betrayal that’d occurred cut closer to home. Zima and Istina had had what felt to the advisor like a strong bond, but shortly after Rosa re-emerged from her self-imposed exile in Logistics, the General threw that away to date the heiress. It stung, in both the past perfective and present adjectival sense, but it wasn’t as if she could disassociate with them. After all, Gummy and Leto were still friends with all of them, even if they were doing their own things for the most part these days, and on the occasions they were around, it was almost enough to make them feel like a group again.

Almost.

They walked back to Zima’s apartment, where the General was waiting by the door. “Ready to go?” She asked, hand on the handle in case Natalya needed to run in and get something.

“Yes, we should be good.” Rosa took Sonya’s hand as she passed their apartment, Istina walking on the other side and noticeably behind her. “If I’m honest, I don’t believe I’ve been to the bar with you before, Anna.”

“I don’t drink often.”

The General nodded. “That she doesn’t. The lightest-weight Ursan you’ve ever met.”

“Th-that’s not true!” She retorted. “I knew plenty of girls my age with lower tolerances.”

“None of which I or Nat have met, so my point still stands,” Zima retorted.

The heiress sighed. This might’ve been a mistake. “Let’s try to refrain from fighting too seriously until we can start a proper brawl, please.”

“Aye. No point in fighting her, anyway.” Sonya scoffed. “No challenge to it.”

“...” The advisor simply followed them to the bar without any further word.

For the first half of the night, things went as expected; Rosa sat in the middle, the General on one side and Istina on the other, acting as a half-Gummy in her attempts to keep things civil. Anna at most sipped her drink, but even that seemed to have an effect on her, making her protests more vivacious. Eventually, Zima got bored of squabbling and, seeing Beehunter and Leto at another table, left to talk to them, leaving Istina and Natalya alone.

“Shouldn’t you be going with her?” The advisor asked, officially finished with her first drink of the night and moving into her second. “You are her girlfriend, aren’t you?”

“I...have my doubts about that,” she admitted, watching the other table laugh, presumably at Anna’s expense.

Anna shrugged. “Don’t blame you. Wouldn’t be the first time, after all...Two-timing whore’s daughter...I still miss her, though.”

“Really?” Now that was a thread worth pursuing. “I thought you only had vitriol left for her.”

“I woulda tho’t the same, but I dunno. Hard to hate ‘er fe’real when she use-a be so warm, y’know?” Her words were sticking together on her tongue like honey; it was hard to scrape them off into the air without them running together.

Natalya smiled. This one really did have a low tolerance, didn’t she? “So is it possible you don’t miss her, just having someone there for you?”

“Mebbe...Do you?”

“I’m sorry?”

Istina swerved around on her stool to face the heiress. “D’ya miss ‘er at ‘er best?”

“Well, yes, I do.” Her eyes wandered back to the other table. “Or at least, I think so. But have I seen her at her best? You’ve known her longer than I ha- What’s so funny?”

“Knew ‘er? Knew ‘er?! Oh, that’sa good one, itn’t it? I knew ‘er, yeah, sure, just like we knew ‘bout the ‘ole ‘Pet’r’eim’s a Reyunyin plot’ or wh’ever they tryda tell us, or ‘at Sonya was thirstin’ fer ya more’n I do after a night at the bar...Yeah, sure, I knew ‘er like ‘at, a’ight...I knew ‘er like the shadows ‘hind my closet door...”

There was a moment of silence, punctuated by a laughing trio of Ursus, before Rosa continued the conversation. “‘Thirsting’ as in you need water after going out drinking, or-”

“Oh, c’mon now, Miz Perfek, don’cha tryn’ play innocent wi’ me...Ya know ya’ve got some’in the rest of us don’t...” Anna giggled a bit, her eyes drifting down Natalya’s neck and settling pointedly elsewhere. “Mmhmm...Woulda been e-zyer t’keep ‘er if I’d ‘ad ‘em, too...Must be nice, bein’ so mature...Damn noble breedin’...”

“You really do have a low tolerance.” In spite of what might be expected, part of the heiress was enjoying listening to her like this. Very few people at Rhodes Island had anything negative to say about her, so all she had to back her own self-loathing was more of her own inner voice. It was depressingly refreshing, or maybe refreshingly depressing? One of those.

That came to an end when Istina drifted a little closer. “Hey. Wanna know a secret?”

“A secret?” Rosa raised an eyebrow. “About who?”

“‘Bout me, konechno (obviously). C’mere.”

Natalya looked back over at the other table, frowned, and turned around to find the advisor even closer. “Yes?”

“‘Tween you and her? ‘snot even a choice.” A pair of very intoxicated lips continued talking. “Ye might be a homewrecker, but yer still better ‘an ‘er by a long shot.”

“I don’t-”

Anna leaned in further. “I say we oughta have a lil’ revenge, don’cha think?”

“How drunk are you to be thinking...like this?” How drunk was she, to find herself kind of agreeing? “I mean, she’s right there...She could see us if she turned around.”

“Ya really think she will, though?” Istina giggled a little. It was obvious what the answer was there, judging by the animated voices coming from that part of the bar.

Rosa rubbed her forehead, sighed, downed what was left in her cup, and shook her head. “You’re right, she won’t. She doesn’t care, she never did, and I...I’m sick of it. Sick of being second-fiddle to someone she won’t even confess to. Sick of being a bystander in my own life. Sick of-”

“Ah, shut up and kiss me already.” The advisor tugged on Natalya’s shirt and pulled her close enough to do just that.

“And so I said to Nat-” Sonya was saying to the others, turning to gesture to her at the bar...Only to see that unfold. “So I...Fuck.”

Leto cocked her head. “I think they’re just kissing right now. It’s not that bad yet.”

“I knew one of them was a lightweight, but both of them? You sure know how to pick ‘em, General.” Beehunter smiled to herself behind her glass.

“...Eh. They won’t remember it happened.” Zima turned back around. “So anyone, I said to Nat...”

But the truth was, Rosa was very cognizant of what was happening - cognizant enough that, when they broke it off, she was blushing bright red. “Anna, I...This is a bit much, I think.”

“What? Didn’t like it?”

“N-no, I...I did, but...” Wouldn’t this make her a double homewrecker at this point, then? “I mean, I don’t even have any proof that-”

Istina sighed, turning back to her glass. “‘Course you need proof. I knew ‘fore she said a word what’d happened ‘tween the two of ya…’Ell, I think I r’mber yer taste from my last kiss wi’ ‘er.”

“Oh. You know I never meant to hurt you, right?”

“Just lost yerself in ‘er smile? I know the feelin’. So rare t’see...” She slunk into the bar. “Still, ‘o, I wish I’da known what I missed out on fer ‘er the firz time.”

The blushing was only getting worse. “Oh, Anna...”

“That one ‘Arkaz girl sang it better ‘an I coulda...I’m sleepy...Need a pillow...” Despite that, Anna’s head fell to the bartop, and she seemed to fall asleep just fine.

“Hmm...Hey, Sonya?” Natalya called over to the other table. “I’m going to take Anna home. I’ll see you when you’re done here?”

Ignoring the snickers from the other two, the General turned around and gave her the thumbs-up. “Sounds good. See you there.”

“Heh. Well, looks like we know who’s getting some tonight, then.” Beehunter had dissolved into a quiet but body-wrenching giggle fit by this point.

“Maybe,” Zima admitted, watching Rosa pluck Istina from the bar and cradle her as she took them back to the advisor’s place. “Honestly? I’ll just sleep at Anna’s tonight. Save her a trip back to my room.”

The other two weren’t sure whether to keep laughing at how ridiculous that sounded, or admit that, as usual, the General was two steps ahead. The drink in their systems, eventually, got them to settle on the former.

[alittlebitgoofy]

drunken struggles (lemyanka)

Lemon is very drunk and needs help, while also drunk, Priyanka helps her but can't help but laugh at the state she's in

ao3 link

Lemon was slumped against her girlfriend’s shoulder. Everything was blurred, overhead street lights turning into big, closer, more orange stars. Maybe that was because she had taken out her contacts a few hours prior. The alcohol had kicked in about then and her eyes started to hurt. Though her sight and senses were blurred, she could feel the warmth of Priyanka, holding her up and walking with her to stop both of them from toppling over onto the cold Toronto street.

Priyanka. Just thinking of her was enough to make Lemon giddy with feelings she had never thought could be so strong. They lived together and she found herself pinching herself, praying it wasn’t a wonderful dream she could wake up from at any moment. Their bond was unmatched, despite the large group of close friends both had acquired. No one got everything like she did. A look was enough to communicate what Lemon wanted and Priyanka never objected to showering the blonde with attention or affection if it was asked for. The latter was rarer, although Lemon often found herself seeking out a hand or an arm to latch onto, full out cuddling was rarely something she enjoyed. She showed her love in other ways and didn’t like being touched all that much. Past girlfriend hadn’t understood that, making Priyanka all the better in her eyes. She didn’t question it, just accepted it and showed her love verbally, leaving Lemon to dictate when she was comfortable with physical affection.

“Love you, Pripriiiii,” Lemon spoke, muffled by Priyanka’s shoulder with slurred words that were almost incoherent. Her first response was a soft laugh that made her heart flutter. It was infectious, leaving Lemon letting out a half audible, uncontrolled giggle that turned into a snort, leading Priyanka to laugh harder.

“I love you too Lemmy, but god you’re fucking drunk.” Although she was the more sober of the pair, Priyanka was far from sober, sure she would be stumbling if not for the fact she had another person to keep steady, they were helping each other but Lemon wasn’t in the state to walk unassisted.

They murmured soft things, nothing substantial but still had the both hanging onto every word, absorbing it like it was the most important thing in the world. Priyanka felt her eyes drift to Lemon’s body, half sprawled on her own for support. She lifted her head whenever she spoke but always layed it back down onto her shoulder. The bright yellow of her hair clashed with the black of Priyanka’s dress. It was reminiscent of Lemon though, bright, clashing against any darkness that Priyanka could ever see.

“Why are you so pretty,” Lemon said, her words still slurred and her tone seeming more tired than before. “Like, your whole body is incredible. You’ve got a pretty face, and your legs, they're long and pretty.” Lemon paused, her head turning to face Priyanka with a thoughtful expression.

“Your legs are like breadsticks.” The blonde pouted at the immediate response of laughter she got. Why was that funny? Her intoxicated mind didn’t have the energy to process it, shrugging it off and returning to her spot on Priyanka’s shoulder.

-----

“Alright, I think it’s time for bed Lem.” Priyanaka laughed as the other girl stumbled into their room, grappling the bed frame for support to walk over and nuzzle into Priyanka, wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist.

It was hard enough to get Lemon to sit in the bed, she was constantly moving and getting distracted by anything. She was absentmindedly prodding at Priyanka’s knee while she was trying to get her to lie down in their bed.

“Lem, you’re so drunk you need to settle before you wake up still drunk tomorrow.” Lemon glanced up at Priyanka as she spoke, nodding solemnly in a quick 180 from her previously carefree mood. It was startling, but before she could ponder on it for too long, Lemon’s eyes started to tell up with tears. It would be mere minutes before she was crying hysterically and Priyanka had no idea how to deal with it. She was too drunk, the emotional intelligence wasn’t there but that wasn’t going to stop her from trying.

“‘m sorry. Should’ve not drunk so much.” Lemons voice cracked, courtesy of the free flowing tears. Her eyes were wide, swimming with a mix of emotions that Priyanka couldn’t identify. Her words were slurred but not intelligible. The only thing to do for Priyanka was to pull her into a tight hug, hoping to find the right words to comfort the emotional girl.

“Lemmy. It’s okay baby. You did drink a bit too much but it happens and we got home safe so everything is okay. I love you, it’s all okay, not mad at you baby.” Priyanka whispered, her hand going into Lemon’s hair and lightly playing with it in an attempt to calm her down.

“I love you so much, Sprinky.” The softness in Lemon’s gaze made Priyanka’s stomach flip, her eyes held a warmth reserved for Priyanka. No one else was as lucky to see Lemon’s loving stare, face adorned with a soft smile as she stared before speaking again

“You’re so perfect and sweet and beautiful and incredible-” Lemon’s words fell interrupted as Priyanka pulled her into a kiss. The drunken girl was too cute for her own good and the remaining alcohol flowing through Priyanka left her far from sober, although the comparison between her and Lemon was one of a lightweight and someone who could hold their alcohol most of the time.

“I love you too Lemmy, but go to bed okay?” Her only response was a soft hum and the blonde curled into her side, arms wrapped around Priyanka like she was a stuffed animal. Her soft breathes faded into light snores that lulled Priyanka to sleep shortly after. Dealing with Lemon in the morning would be a handful in it’s own right but nothing Priyanka couldn’t handle. Especially after the difficult task of getting her home and asleep. Despite the annoyance, she wouldn’t trade it for the world. Difficult or not, Lemon was incredible and no amount of drunken struggles would change that.

[possiamo-andare]

Evergreen: Incantava

Eleonora x Edoardo

MASTERLIST

word count: 3.8k

summary: Edoardo and Eleonora bond after Chicco breaks one of Eleornora’s potted plants.

a/n: idk how i feel about this since I’m not 100% comfortable writing about incantava. I’m still trying to figure out how to write the dynamics of their relationship. Hopefully I was somewhat close. enjoy!

~

Eleonora Sava came to the realisation that parties were not something she liked. Of course, if it was a celebration that consisted of just her close friends, some nice penne pasta, and music then she would have enjoyed it. But the party that was being hosted in her home right now wasn't that kind of party. Fede had told her that it would be a small gathering, not more than fifteen people. The truth was just the reverse. The truth was that he had welcomed everybody he met, about two hundred people, along with some of the most irritating music she'd ever heard. It wasn't the hardest part of it. Sadly, an invitation had been extended to Edo Incanti. Somehow, the boy who everyone knew she despised was invited to her party. She didn't know who allowed it but by looking at Gio’s mischievous grin, she knew he was the culprit. Gio had thought they would be amazing together and made sure Ele heard him. Edo pinned after her like a lost puppy dog after she had told him off at the yard just weeks before. Though Gio mocked her (which she protested against) about their compatibility, she was still indifferente to this curly guy. If Ele was anything, it was stubborn.

“El -” Eva hiccuped in Ele’s ear, hanging onto her as if the floor underneath the intoxicated girl was trembling. “Ele.”

“Hm?” Ele hummed, too distracted to give her friend a long winded answer. She searched for Edo through the crowd. Although she would never admit she was, she couldn’t help herself. It was as if her eyes were drawn to him.

“I need to go to the bathroom.” Eva slurred her words together, almost unintelligible.

Fortunately for Ele, she was fluent in drunken Eva's language and instinctively understood what her friend wanted from her. With a deep sigh and the beginning of a headache, she guided Eva to her washroom where she prayed that Eva would not ask for any more help. Thankfully, Ele did not have to push through the crowd, most people moving out of the way when they saw a drunk girl and her sober friend dashing towards the bathroom.

“I’m gonna wait here.” Ele stated, finally letting go of her drunk friend and pushing her through the threshold of the door.

Eva says nothing, only giggling as she slowly closes the door behind her. Only when Ele hears the familiar sound of a lock clicking, does she finally relax. Tonight has not been the best. She’s been so worried about everyone else, she had not any time to herself to actually party. This was one of the reasons she didn’t like huge parties; she was always the one running around looking after everyone.

She kept her head high, however. She wasn't going to let some bad music and a greedy asshole ruin, a happy night with her friends. Granted, Eva was drunk beyond belief and Silvia had disappeared half way through the night but Ele was determined to let nothing ruin her mood. Because of this determination, she decided it is best to avoid Edo all night to keep her joy intact. She told herself it was because he had a talent of upsetting her in ways no one else could. It was definitely not because he looked too handsome for his own good, or because his curly hair fell around his face in a way that made her stomach drop. It was purely because she hated him. And she always would.

This was proven to be nearly impossible because Edo and his friends loved to cause mayhem and Ele seemed to be constantly looking over her shoulder to see if they were behaving themselves. Even now, as she waited outside the door of the washroom for her friend, she couldn't help but scan the room for the curly haired boy and his rambunctious friends. Unfortunately, it was too late. The second her eyes landed on the group of boys, was also the second Chicco opened the sliding glass door that led to her balcony. Ele's balcony housed tons of different types of potted plants, all very delicate. Only a person that understood botany and the intricacy of flora could enter. Chicco did not fit this criteria. Ele knew what was going to happen before it even did. And when she heard the familiar sound of a pot crashing (having dropped many pots before), she only rolled her eyes. Of course Chicco would be the one to break one of her potted plants.

“Hey!” Ele watches as Edo raises his hands in exasperation, not stepping over the threshold of her balcony. He was almost like a vampire; he couldn’t enter the balcony without the owner allowing him to. It was that, or he understood Ele’s boundaries and the first option seemed more viable. “Dio mio Chicco!”

Ele rushes over to her balcony, leaving Eva in the bathroom. Although she wants to see Edo tell Chicco off for being so clumsy, she rather handle him herself. She didn;t need another reason to thank Edo. She had already said thanks to him way too many times. She approaches Edo at the door of her balcony quietly, as to not draw too much attention to the fact they were talking. Edo is too busy scolding Chicco to see her first and she has to speak up before he even looks to his right.

“What’s happened?” Ele asks, her arms already crossed and her brows pushed together.

These are the walls she puts up whenever she’s around Edo because she’s too scared to show him what her eyes might actually show him. So, she forces herself to look annoyed all the time. Truth is, she could care less if the pot was broken. There was a market ten minutes from her home and the pot cost so little but since Edo was behind the culprit who broke it, she knew she’d have to give him a hard time. God forbid she was easy on Edo. She didn’t want him walking around thinking she had a soft spot for him.

“Ele,” Edo sighs, running his hands through his curly (but shitty) hair. Ele watches from behind him as Chicco is carried out from her balcony and placed on her couch by some of Edo’s friends. Chicco is still smiling and acting as if nothing is the matter. “I’m so sorry. I’ll buy you a new one.”

Ele finally crans her head and looks through the open door of her balcony, finding the mess Chicco left. It’s not as bad as she thought but she can’t let Edo know that. One of her smaller flowers, an evergreen plant her brother bought her last week, has been knocked over. The pot it’s in is cracked and most of the soil is on the floor. Although she’s made a worse mess, she knows Edo feels just terrible. She indulges in the idea that he feels this way for his friend’s accident, considering all the turmoil he’s put her through the last year. Not to mention, the date he made her go on with him. Of course, he technically never forced her and she could’ve just come clean to Silvia and she did actually have a pretty good time, but that's besides the point.

Ele looks back at Edo who, to Ele’s glee, looks terrified and frowns deeper. “That was my favourite plant!” It was, infact, not but she wanted to screw with Edo and by the look on his face, it was working.

Edo rubs his temples, a horrible feeling churning in his stomach. “I’m so sorry, Ele.”

Ele rolls her eyes, suppressing a smile. “Nothing you can do now. I’m just gonna get another pot tomorrow.” She’s just about to turn around when, to her surprise, Edo places a gentle touch to her elbow. She stops before she can turn and feels her heartbeat pick up speed from just that simple touch.

“Let me help. It’s the least I could do.” Edo watches as Ele’s eyes stare at where his fingers caress her elbow and he realizes he has just touched her. It was an accident and he had forgotten, for a moment, how much she hated him.

Ele shakes her head, watching as Edo quickly takes his hand off her elbow. “Eduardo -”

“Edoardo.” He corrects, a small smirk on his face. She’s back to being her snarky self.

“ - I don’t need your help.” She ignores his correction, like all the times she has before.

Edo shrugs. “It’s the least I can do.” He really wants to help. Not to mention, he hopes this good deed will get on Ele’s good side considering he’s been on her bad side for way too long.

Ele shakes her head, indignant. “No, the least you could’ve done was never come to this party.” With that, she turns on her heels and walks away from Edo. She hopes he gets the hint and tries not to follow her but she hears him behind her, only a few steps away.

She decides to get away from this party and see if the market is open. The night has not gone the way she hoped and, in some ways, Chicco helped her out by breaking that pot. Now she can escape the crowd by busying herself with her plants. Although she knows it’s rude to leave her guests, she decides to forget about manners. At least for tonight.

“It was an open invitation.” Edo quips, biting his lip and stifling a laugh, She looks so stiff as she walks, she wonders how she’s able to keep such a straight posture. “Besides, if you didn’t want me to come -”

Ele grabs her coat from the closet and finally turns around to face Edo. She has no good argument so she stays quiet as she adjusts the sleeves on her coat. Although she is facing Edo, she makes no effort to look him in the eyes as he continues to blabber on about Lord knows what.

“Edo! Sta 'zitto!” She just wants him to be quiet for a moment so she can collect her thoughts. Her mind is so scrambled by the loud music and cheering, she slips up and accidentally calls Edo by the nickname so many people call him.

Edo smiles. “Edo? Well, Eleonora Sava, I never thought we were that close.”

Ele rolls her eyes, her cheeks burning from embarrassment. “We’re not.”

Edo leans forward and reaches over her head to grab his coat from the closet. She wishes he wasn’t so close but at the same time, he smells so damn good. Ele’s mind is going so crazy that, for a moment, she goes dizzy. He quickly gets his coat and puts in on himself before Ele even has a chance to ask him what he is doing. For a moment, she thinks he may be going home but she knows better than to think Edo would actually listen to her.

“Well, we went on a date so I’d say we’re pretty close.” He still wears that handsome smirk on his lips and Ele wishes he would stop looking so good just for a second so she could be actually upset with him.

Ele rolls her eyes, ignoring his last comment. She’s more concerned with why he has his coat on. “Why do you have your coat on?”

Edo adjusts his collar, glancing at the mirror to his right before looking back at Ele. “First, you’re basically telling me to leave and now you want to know where I’m going. You’re one confusing woman, Eleonora Sava.”

Ele can’t help but cross her arms over her chest. “You’re going home?” She already knows the answer but asks anyway.

Edo shakes his head. “Of course not. I’m gonna accompany you to get another pot.”

Ele narrows her eyes, stepping closer towards her front door. “How did you know -”

Ele’s cut off by Edo’s laugh and she feels her heart flutter. She quickly swallows and tries to suppress the feeling in her chest as she listens to Edo laugh. “C’mon, Ele, you were looking for an excuse to leave this party. I was watching you. You look like a fish out of water.”

Ele tries to ignore the part where Edo was watching her all night and instead focuses on his teasing of how much she feels uncomfortable in crowds. “Well, not everyone can be Eduardo Incanti, the king of partying and getting shit faced drunk.”

Edo shrugs, a sly smirk always present on his face. “What can I say; I’m the life of the party.”

Ele rolls her eyes yet again. She knows that there has to be some kind of record she has broken because she is constantly rolling her eyes around Edo. “You’re not coming.”

Edo fishes in his coat pocket for a moment before pulling a wad of cash clipped together. He comically waves it in front of Ele’s face for a moment and she can’t help but smile at how stupid he is acting. She wonders if any other girl has seen this side of Edo and although she wants to say yes, she knows the truth. Edo proceeds to take three 20€ from the clip before putting the rest back in his pocket.

“You can keep the change.” He grabs Ele’s hand before she can pull away and hands her the cash. She ignores the way Edo’s fingers feel against her wrist and instead focuses on how that much money feels in her hands.

“Are you trying to bribe me?” Ele asks, her other hand moving to the doorknob. She twists it and opens before Edo has time to reply.

“Maybe. Is it working?”

~

Ele had been in Edo’s car on one occasion and she had been beyond uncomfortable. He had come to pick her up for their date and although she was furious, she was more uncomfortable. She had not been on a date for years and she hated the feeling of putting on her best face to impress someone you liked. What was even worse was that she didn’t even like Edo so she was getting ready for someone she didn’t even like.

His car was nothing special. Yes, it was expensive but it was Edoardo Incanti and she suspected he would have a luxurious car. Something that threw her off about his car was that it wasn’t flashy. It was a black, small Benz and although luxurious, it was not in the least flashy. The engine was even quiet, which was something she definitely thought he would have upgraded for something louder. This car did not seem like something someone as pompous as Edo would drive.

As she got in his car for the second time, the same thoughts crossed her mind. He had opened the door for her this time, unlike last where he never got out, and she tried to chalk it up to him being his usually egotistical self. The truth was, everything she had originally thought of Edo was proven not to be true. His car was not flashy and neither were his clothes. Yes, his personality showed her an egotistical player but everything else about him was muted. She wondered how wrong she truly was about him.

“Are you there, amore?” Edo’s voice snapped her from her thoughts. She could hear the amusement in his voice as he questioned whether or not she was listening to him.

Ele looked at him, clearly annoyed as he drove down the street. “Do not call me that.”

Edo nodded, pressing his lips together as to laugh at her bewilderment. SHe looked like a deer in headlights when she heard him call her by that pet name. “Sorry.”

Ele rolled her eyes, watching as he pulled into the market’s driveway. “No, you’re not.” Once his car had fully come to a stop, she opened the door herself and closed it with a loud slam. If it was anyone else, she would have been polite but all of her manners are thrown out the window when it comes to Edo.

Edo walks around the front of his car and approaches Ele, loving his car with a button. “You’re right. I’m not.”

Ele pushes past the shitty haired boy and makes her way towards the white tarp where she knows the pots and plants are located. By this time, the market is closed but it is family owned and run so the owners leave the tarp open for passersby to stop and buy a plant. Ele doesn’t bother to look back at Edo and enters the white tarp and starts looking for the right size pot.

As Ele browses through the aisles, looking for the brown pots she has bought on more than one occasion, Edo scrolls through his phone at the entrance of the tarp. When Ele turns around to walk into the next aisle, she sees Edo at the entrance and scoffs. Of course he would be on his phone. She stops looking for a moment and walks back to Edo at the entrance of the tarp.

“If you don’t wanna be here -” Ele starts but never gets a chance to finish her sentence before Edo starts speaking over her.

“It says here that during the winter, Evergreens can enhance comfort and cut heating expenses by protecting homes from brisk winds. Their thick foliage reduces cooling costs when it shields buildings from bright summer sunlight. They also block and absorb traffic noise throughout the year.” Edo smiles as he continues to read interesting facts on his phone about this interesting plant.

Ele nods. “Yes. I did know that.” She always had praised herself for knowing so much about the plants she cares for.

Edo looks up from his phone and at Ele, a smirk playing on his lips. He closes his phone and Ele watches as the only source of light vanishes from his face. She can still see his face from the light shining from the lamppost nearby but the night turns to light blue. “I guess people are kinda like Evergreens.”

Ele raises her brows, not understanding what Edo has just said in the least. “What?”

Edo shrugs, clearly embarrassed by voicing such an out of pocket comment and not explaining. “I don’t know, like, when you’re around good people, they can make you feel comfortable and warm. They can block out all the noise and make it feel as if it’s only the two of you. You know?”

Ele is taken aback by the insight Edo has just shared with her. Before, she thought it nearly impossible for him to ever say something of substance but he has proved her wrong. For the first time since their date, they’re having a sincere conversation. “I know what you mean.”

Edo finally steps inside the tarp and closer to Ele. She’s beyond scared of what is happening between them but she forces herself to stay in one place. As Edo walks closer to her, he reaches up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. Ele lets him do this, wanting it more than she wants to admit it. Without realizing it, her hand reaches up to touch Edo’s and she lets his hand rest against her cheek. They’re standing so close to each other, Ele is sure he is going to try to kiss her. The most surprising part is she wants him to. She’s been wondering for way too long how his lips would feel against hers.

Surprisingly, Edo does the exact opposite. After moments of just standing there, he removes his hand from Ele’s face and takes a step back from her. Although she is beyond surprised, she says nothing and instead turns back around, resuming her search for the pots. She rounds another corner and walks into the last aisle to see the pots, stacked on the floor. She picks up the one she thinks is the right size before turning to the entrance to see if Edo is still standing there. She smiles at him for what seems like the first time and then walks to him, a pot in her arms. When she finally approaches him again, his signature smirk is back on his lips.

“Found one.” Ele extends her arms forwards, signalling to Edo that she wants him to take it. Understanding right away, Edo takes the pot from her arms to allow Ele to leave some money behind for the pot.

As he watches her dig through her pocket for the money he had given her, Edo wanders to his relationship with Ele. He knows it’s rocky. That would be an understatement. One minute, she’s pretending to be upset with him to make him feel bad and the next second, she’s allowing him to touch her hair. He knew the second she saw the plant that she was faking but he refused to say anything. He knows Ele doesn’t completely understand how well he can read her. He’s been watching her for over a year now, pining and following after a girl who, until a few weeks ago, he was sure didn’t want anything to do with him. Now, everything has changed.

“That should be enough.” Ele says, looking back to Edo. She left one of the 20€ inside the jar of tips the owners had, hoping they would understand that someone came during the night to buy a pot. When Ele finally makes eye contact with Edo again, she can see his mind is elsewhere as he watches her. “You alright?” She knows this is a dumb question considering what had just happened between them but she can not help herself.

Edo nods, clearing his throat before speaking. “I want us to be friends Ele.”

Ele tries to build a wall between him, knowing where this conversation is going. “That’s not what it’s felt like.”

Edo shrugs, smiling at the scared girl. He figured that’s all Ele was underneath; a girl scared of falling in love. “We should at least try.”

Ele thinks for a moment. She wants this but at the same time, she doesn’t want to give Edo the satisfaction of letting them become friends. She knows the more time she spends with him, the more she will inevitably feel something for him. As much as she knows that can’t happen, she also wants to be happy. “I guess.”

Edo sets down the pot for a moment and extends his hand to Ele to shake. Surprised, Ele wearily extends her hand and allows for Edo to shake it. As their hands touch, they both feel a current being exchanged between the both of them. Ele and Edo feel the electricity flow from their fingertips all the way to their chest and explode. They both know what it means and although they rather not say it aloud, they both know they can never truly be friends.

As they both enter Edo’s car, there is only silence between them. And although they are not saying anything, they are thinking the same thing. When they were touching each other, they felt comfortable and warm. They felt at peace. They felt like Evergreens.

~

tagging my friend @teamnick​ who loves incantava as much as I do <3

[gottlem]

summer fl(in)g. part 2 (gigi x crystal)

summary: after lockdown, Gigi and Crystal find it hard to keep their chemistry in person. Will they ever figure out how to get it back? (3.6k)

The first time Gigi and Crystal see each other in person after lockdown is with Jan and Jackie. Jan had insisted in their little group chat that they all meet up as soon as possible, and it just so happened that everyone was already free - having been unable to make any plans due to complete uncertainty of the future. But that’s in the past now. It was finally time to go and see friends, hug them, appreciate the things they had taken so easily for granted. Like how full the park was - before the lockdown, the four would have bitched about the excitable children and ignorant adults. But today was different. Today, sat in the same park they had been in many times before, felt like a turning point in everyone’s lives. They laid out a checkered blanket onto the grass (Gigi couldn’t risk the stains and Jackie didn’t like how the grass made her legs itch) and started their small, last minute picnic. 

The cool summer air enveloped them in a welcome hug - it was starting to become a little cooler, with the hottest part of summer being in the middle of lockdown. Of course they were disappointed in missing the heat, but they knew how necessary the lockdown had been (a/n STAY INSIDE) and couldn’t complain when they were finally outside and feeling the refreshing breeze on their exposed skin - it was (thankfully) still just warm enough for shorts and t shirts, giving the girls a quick taste of summer before the clothes would have to be swapped out for jeans and sweaters.  

Crystal loved how vibrant everything looked. She adored the way the grass was just so green, and the sky so blue. And Gigi was so Gigi. They sat next to each other, their bare legs ever so slightly brushing up every now and again, sending shivers down Crystal’s spine. She only hoped that Gigi was experiencing the same electricity. Crystal felt stuck, she was so scared of getting too close to the girl and scaring her away. She cared about what they had too much to risk it for the chance of something more. 

Everytime Crystal smiled, or laughed, Gigi would find herself absolutely captivated by the sound. It was intoxicating to her. What she loved more, was the fact that every time her ears picked the sound up, Gigi would find that she was the first (and only) thing Crystal would look at. It made her feel special. Like maybe what they had started during the lockdown wouldn't be wasted. Though, she could never describe it that way, even if nothing else came out of it all, the time couldn’t have been wasted when she found so much joy within the memories.

“Gigi. G. Gig. Genevieve. Babe” That last word was what took Gigi out of her thoughts. She was suddenly very aware of how close Crystal’s face was to hers. Turns out, she had completely zoned out and now all she could think about was how good Crystal smelled. She wondered why she hadn’t noticed before, but the realisation came crashing down onto her soon enough - she had never actually been this physically close to Crystal before. Though, it was difficult to believe, with how much they had bonded. All Gigi wanted was to stay like this forever. Stay close to Crystal forever.

But alas, Gigi had been taken out of her trance, which was Crystal’s cue to sit back, and return to stealing subtle stares at the girl. Gigi caught every single one, and returned it with double the intensity. That’s all they could do. Look. Admire. Appreciate from a distance, all the while longing for so much more. They could have a whole conversation with their eyes, but neither would admit it. Not to each other, not to themselves. Not yet, anyway.

The day out is filled with laughter until the sun starts to set and the girls start to get chilly. Crystal had brought an extra jacket (because of course she had) and gave it to Gigi, without trying to think about it too hard. Jan and Jackie had both spotted how the interaction had made both girls turn impossibly red, and giggled amongst themselves, instantly catching onto what was happening, and remembering when they were in the same boat a few months prior. They decided to let them figure it out themselves - it would be fun to watch unfold, and meddling would only complicate things. Though, even if they didn’t know the full story, it seemed to be pretty complicated already.

When Crystal returned to her apartment, her face stung a bit from the cold, Gigi having been given the warmer of her two jackets. And the only one with a hood she could have used to at least try to stop her ears from freezing. The warmth from her apartment was comforting as she made herself a hot chocolate and let herself relax after the day she’d had. She was exhausted from being around a group, a group that included Gigi, for so many hours, but she relished in the way it made her feel. She was content.

When Gigi returned to her apartment, she went straight to her bed and almost passed out. But before falling asleep, she let her thoughts wander to the green haired girl she felt so deeply towards. It had become her routine, her guilty little pleasure, to let herself imagine what could be if she just told her how she felt, what she wanted. But she didn’t want to lose what they had. What if she didn’t feel the same and suddenly felt too awkward to keep up the flirty banter? Or worse, what if she felt exactly the same and they started dating, only to lose that spark they had. She shook the thoughts out of her head - thinking like that wont do her any good. But then again, neither will imaginary scenarios filled with light touches and gentle kisses. It didn’t take her much longer to fall asleep fully, with Crystal’s hoodie hanging loose on her small frame and her perfume comforting her senses.

Two weeks passed after the lockdown was lifted, and the small group had met up countless times, trying desperately to make up for lost time. Gigi and Crystal stood next to each other, taking in each other's presence but barely talking. They were so scared to ruin what they have by speaking, they were just ruining it by avoiding each other. Everytime they returned back to their apartments, they would spend their time drowning in thoughts about the other, dreaming up the things they weren’t bold enough to do in real life. 

Crystal hated the silence. She had gotten so used to calling, so used to spending her waking hours on the phone with Gigi: chatting, laughing, flirting. She kept waiting to hear her phone to ring, or to get a text. She just wanted something. Something to show that what they had was still there. And as if Gigi could read her mind, despite being blocks away, she got a text.

goodemorning: hey. i’m gonna call u, if that’s ok?

Crystal could feel Gigi’s hesitation from the way she had typed out the message. Gigi was just as scared as she was.

CRYstal: ...when has it ever not been ok? ofc u can call b

The call was slow. And awkward. Their dialogue was stilted and it felt like they were walking on eggshells around each other, their new dynamic being achingly polarizing. They tried to idly chat about nothing, just like they would have three weeks ago, but to no avail. They both knew they were holding themselves, and each other, back.

“Ok, no, I can’t deal with this anymore,” Gigi took a breath before continuing. Crystal froze up. “Listen I’m just gonna say this; what are we? I mean, we talked so much on lockdown, like, so fucking much and then all the flirting started, I mean, you call me babe for fucks sake, so, what does it all mean? Because this isn’t how friends act, Crys, you know that, right? This isn’t how ‘just friends’ act around each other, you had to have known that. You had to! Cause God knows I do, far too well.”

Gigi hadn’t expected to sound so angry. She wasn’t angry. Or maybe she was? She couldn’t really tell anymore. All she knew now was she felt horrid watching the tears prick behind Crystal’s eyes at her words, and instantly wanted to go back in time.

“Hey, no, don’t be upset. Look at me, I’m not mad, ok? I’m not mad. I’m just confused. I just want to know what’s going on because it’s just too much right now, so please just, talk to me?”

Crystal took a breath. She had been waiting for this moment. Waiting for one of them to finally acknowledge that there was something more going on here. There was no going back now - so that's why Crystal asked:

“Why don’t we try a date? We could go grab some coffee or something. If it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work and we can go back to being just friends”

In reality, Crystal hated the idea of it not working. She would do anything to keep their relationship as is. The flirting, the electric touches, they kept her going. Made her feel wanted. Gigi agreed to the offer in an instant, letting out a breath she was holding and physically relaxing at the way the unspoken had finally been spoken.

But they were still both terrified.

Crystal was the first to arrive at the small cafe. It's a quaint little shop - quiet, not too empty nor too full. Perfect for a first date. In theory. In practise, the first date has more to do with the compatibility of those in attendance. This shouldn’t have been a problem for Crystal and Gigi, they could spend hours and hours talking to each other from the safety of their bedrooms. Apparently doing this in person is easier said than done.

Gigi walked in nervously and Crystal was overwhelmed the moment they locked eyes. Gigi joined her at the table she had taken up in the corner. They sat opposite each other. The tension could have been cut with a knife. Crystal sipped on her tea she had ordered not long before, and Gigi stood up slowly, announcing she’d get herself a drink.

When she sat back down, the conversation didn’t pick up as well as they had hoped. It didn’t really pick up at all. Suddenly they were reduced to simple small talk, as if they had never even met before. Crystal could feel Gigi’s knee touching hers under the table. It didn’t spend sparks flying through her body. She felt uncomfortable. She didn’t know what to say anymore, it was like the title of this being a ‘date’ had taken every word out of Crystal’s mouth. The thing was, she still felt so strongly to Gigi, she wanted more than anything to have that cliche moment of figuring out if a kiss goodbye on the first date was too much, of laughing at stupid jokes, of interlocking picky fingers until they’re bold enough to preoperly hold hands. She wanted that with Gigi. But she felt awkward, like their chemistry had vanished.

Gigi wasn’t any help either.  She would stare off, deep in thought. But it wasn’t like how she had stared before. No, before she would stare at Crystal with what might have been described at love in her eyes. Pupils wide, smiling contently. Now she looked right through Crystal, trying to come up with something good to say, but coming up just as empty as Crystal had. While the date wasn’t completely silent between them, it was undeniably awkward. Unlike any interaction they’d had before.

When Gigi finished her coffee, she left. Excused herself and apologised that the date hadn’t lived up to expectations. Neither knew who, or what to blame for it. Crystal didn’t leave straight after. She sat there for a while, ordering another tea and letting herself get lost in her thoughts. Just as she felt tears behind her eyes, Jan walked in. Despite the fact that she was still in the corner, feeling small as ever, the blonde spotted her instantly, her face falling when she saw Crystal’s glassy eyes. As soon as she had her latte in hand, she sat down by Crystal.

“What happened. Why are you alone? Did someone stand you up? Oh my god I’ll kill them. Do you want a hug?” 

Jan had never been the best at comforting upset friends, her constantly high energy often not matching the mood of the room. Crystal didn’t mind. They had all gotten used to it, and knew the myriad of questions she would ask came from love. Crystal let out a sad giggle at Jan’s energy despite the situation, and nodded to say, yeah, I do want a hug.

Jan always gave the best hugs. She held on tightly, giving a little squeeze every now and again, as if trying to either take her friend’s pain away, or pass on some of her own happiness. When Crystal started lightly crying onto her shoulder, Jan just hugged tighter and whispered to her that it would be ok, and that she wasn't going anywhere. She waited for Crystal to pull away first, and when she did, she wiped her tears with her thumb and gave her the softest look.

“I had a bad date”

Neither Crystal nor Gigi had mentioned their date to their other friends, but Jan wasn’t surprised when she started to tell the whole story of what happened. The two girls spent a couple hours in the corner of the coffee shop, Jan refusing to leave until Crystal was back to laughing and smiling again. She couldn’t do anything to help Crystal and Gigi sort themselves out, but she could be a shoulder to cry on. And sometimes, that's all you need.

When Gigi had left, the first thing she did was ring Jackie. She explained everything, from how much they had talked in lockdown, to the failed date. Gigi was confused. Jackie somehow wasn’t.

“Y’all are forcing it. You made this connection when we were all stuck inside, and now suddenly things are different. You’re trying to act like things aren’t. Of course it’s gonna be awkward. But if you stick to that stupid ‘stick to being just friends if the date fails’ agreement, I’m kicking both your asses”

Trust it to Jackie to make some sense of the situation. 

After the date, Gigi and Crystal were scared to talk to each other at all - flirting or not. This is what they were scared of, and yet neither were bold enough to make a move to get them out of it. A few weeks passed, and they had barely exchanged a few words. They would steal glances at each other during group outings, but the other never seems to notice, or at least not pay attention like they used to. Crystal remembered when Gigi would purposely brush her hand on her thigh when they were sitting next to each other.  Gigi remembered when Crystal would wink when she caught her staring. They didn’t do that anymore.

The last week of summer had the four friends buzzing with excitement - Pride was finally happening! It was supposed to happen much earlier, but couldn’t go ahead due to the lockdown. Everyone was beyond pleased when they found out Pride had only been postponed and not cancelled, and would be taking place at the end of Summer instead. Jan, Jackie, Gigi, and Crystal didn’t even have to ask for them to go together - they had been going as a group every year since they had come out to each other. Over the years, they started to get more and more excited for the event.

It was surprisingly warm despite the time of year, but it allowed the group to enjoy the sun. The energy of pride was hardly ever dampened, but it was often a bit more difficult to have as much fun when it rained, or if it was a little too cloudy. That, thankfully, wasn’t the case this year. The four met up an hour before the parade, just as they did every year. Gigi and Crystal were scared of ruining each other's fun, worrying that their presence would make the other feel awkward. But somehow, the atmosphere surrounding them threw that possibility out the window as soon as they locked eyes. Each girl had dawned rainbow colours, and Gigi had done the most beautiful pride-inspired makeup. Crystal was in awe.

As the morning passed, the group had visited every stall, collecting an array of freebies. Each girl had an arm filled with multi coloured wristbands and were starting to warm up to the day ahead. Gigi and Crystal stood next to each other, brushing their arms up close and smiling intimately at each other. Now when Gigi stared, Crystal stared right back, winking in the exact same way she had before. Somehow it wound Gigi up more than she was used to. By noon, the pair were joined at the hip, hands intertwined like their lives depended on it. Conversations flowed naturally, and Gigi was back to hearing the laugh she had grown to love over the past few months.

In the early afternoon, Jan and Jackie left to ‘get some food’ while Gigi and Crystal stayed on the huge field, periodically getting themselves another drink. In their tipsy state, the girls couldn’t help but giggle at their friends' departure, knowing fully well they didn’t leave to get something to eat (well, food at least). Neither girl was accustomed to drinking during the day, but pride was an annual exception, so they allowed themselves to get a bit tipsy - it was pride after all. Barely anyone was 100% sober, and if they were, it was usually because they weren’t old enough to buy any alcohol.

Later on in the day, they found a small tent, music blasting from speakers inside it and filled with people dancing like nobody was there. Crystal pulled Gigi in, giving her no other option but to dance with her. They stayed in the tent for an hour or so, bodies getting dangerously close as the time progressed, but neither girl was complaining. It was as if they were daring each other to come closer and closer.

They left the tent when the main stage started to gather a bigger audience, opting to join everyone else on the open field. Their hands stayed intertwined as they danced and sang along to the live music , the buzzing atmosphere egging them on to stay impossibly close. Crystal found herself looking at Gigi more than she did at the stage, feeling hypnotised by the way she smiled. It was a smile she Gigi wasn’t even thinking about - she was truly happy, enjoying herself by Crystal’s side. Crystal smiled just as wide and just as truthfully. 

The pair decided to move to the back of the crowd when Gigi started complaining that her feet hurt. While it was the truth, it was really just an excuse to sit down with Crystal, who put her head in her lap the second she sat down. Gigi found herself not caring about the grass stains this time. The sun had started to set, and cast a dreamy golden light on the pair as they began to sober up and take a moment to relax with each other after the crazy day.

They fell back into their rhythm quickly, with Crystal’s head in Gigi’s lap and Gigi playing with her green hair. They were both so comfortable. So content. Happy. This is what they wanted, this is what they had expected for their date. However, Gigi had spent the whole day getting progressively closer to the other girl, and she was starting to get sick of coming to what seemed like a dead end. She decided it was time for that to change.

“You know Crys… I remember you promising to give me something when the lockdown finished, remember what it as?”

~

“When this is over, I’ll kiss you, don’t even worry about it” Crystal was only half joking. GIgi went red, but tried to act as if the thought of Crystal kissing her didn’t phase her at all.

“Oh will you now?”

“I’m not kidding”

“Well. I’d very much like that Miss Methyd”

~

She didn’t quite remember at first, but it didn’t take her long to understand exactly what Gigi wanted. 

“Well, I’d hate to not stick to my word”

“Then what are you waiting for?”

Crystal answered that question by bringing her face up to Gigi’s and planting a firm kiss on her lips. From the start it was certain, and wanting. They stayed like that for a while, letting the sounds of the music grow smaller until the only thing that existed was their touching lips and hands in each other's hair (well, Crystal's hair, Gigi had kept hers shaved after Crystal kept saying that she thought it was hot). When they pulled away, they didn’t say anything. Crystal rested her head back into Gigi’s lap and smiled up at her. Gigi smiled back.

Jan and Jackie joined the pair not long after, as if they had been watching and waiting for something to finally happen between them before they interrupted. And maybe they had been. But none of them seemed to care.

That night, Crystal went home with Gigi. They made up for lost time, taking in each other's presence and the way their bodies worked together as if they were made to fit, and they never let go of eachother until morning.

[thepeakyfckingblinders]

Disturbing || Tommy Shelby x reader

⤠ MASTERLIST⤟

Anon requested/summary:  Can you write one about tommy and reader breaking up, then months later tommy sees her with people he doesn’t approve, of drinking ( drugs eg if your comfortable) so he try’s to get her back? Maybe with younger reader

Warnings: Younger reader (20-25 yrs old), anxiety, maybe angst, drug use, heavy drinking, swearing (but, c’mon, it’s the peaky fooking blinders we’re talking about)

Author’s notes: 

I’m sorry if the title sucks, I can’t think of anything better at the moment

This was my very first request and I was so tense while writing it, I guess I smoked a thousand cigarettes in the process! I’m praying that you’ll like it, let me know what you think and tell me if this is what you expected  ♡

I myself suffer form anxiety, in the first part I just tried to explain how my brain works in certain situations and that’s why it is so long, I hope you won’t get bored.

I’m Italian, English isn’t my first language, so I apologize for every possible mistake I made. Also please, help me improve my writing by telling me if there’s something wrong

ENJOY!

You had been trying to keep control of your mind, you truly had, but in the end that familiar sense of pure fear took over you, again. A heavy form of anxiety had been haunting you ever since you were a little girl, but, as the years went by, you had learnt to cope with it well and when you met Thomas, things only got better, the strong bond between the two of you constantly helping you handle that issue. 

Nevertheless, during the last month, things got definitely out of hand: Tommy was always caught up with business, rarely paying attention to you and your increasing fragility, he hadn’t spent a night home since ages and still, in those rare moments you were together, he was just so distant, totally lost in his own mind.

On the other hand, you never once blamed him for the way his life worked, after all you were perfectly aware of how hard it was for him to look after his whole empire, always trying to deal with countless problems without causing any harm to his loved ones, and that was surely not the easiest thing to do. But this time was different: you couldn’t prevent your brain from having obsessive thoughts about Thomas getting completely tired of having you in his way, you actually convinced yourself he was sleeping with other women in the nights he didn’t come home, and on those nights your eyes never shut, you spent hours alone in your king size bed, staring at the white ceiling with short breath and palpitations. That’s why you just couldn’t take it anymore, anxiety was once more sucking the life out of you and you absolutely needed to talk to your boyfriend about it, so, as soon as he entered the house that night, you practically run towards him, determined to calmly explain everything; too bad, your exhausted mind wasn’t working straight and your mouth immediately made it clear.

-Y-you have to tell me-  Tears already streaming down your face while the handsome man in front of you gave you a confused look, not having a clue of what was going on. You could tell he also was in a bad mood, indeed your sentence was at first totally ignored as he walked into his study and quickly lit a cigarette, before filling his glass with whisky.

-What the hell are you talking about, y/n?-

You were now facing him again, your hands shamelessly trembling against your chest while you hardly held back the crying. -If there’s another woman, i-if you want to get rid of me, you have to tell me now, ‘cause I’m l-losing my mind, Thomas-

You slightly jumped when his now empty glass was roughly shoved against the huge desk separating your figures, then you unconsciously stepped back, noticing absolute fury burning in his glacial eyes.

-Are you serious right now, eh? Have you any idea how fucking difficult it is to keep everything working these days, eh?- His voice was loud and raspy as he stood from his seat -And you fucking come and tell me about other bloody women, how idiotic of you!- Heavy sobs started coming out of your throat, Thomas instead took a deep breath in order to calm down and stop shouting in your face; once he had partially blown off steam, he sat back in his chair, looking up at you almost with disgust.

-You know what? My brothers were right for once, you’re just a silly kid unable to fit in our world. This whole thing was a mistake, I need a fucking grown woman by my side!- A disturbing silence filled the room right after he spat those bitter words and you swore you heard your heart stop along with your breathing in that very moment, your eyelids instinctively tightened for several seconds, yet, when your eyes flew back open, you realized it wasn’t only a bad dream. Tommy was still staring at you with a stern expression, probably waiting on your next move, so you just looked into his blue irises one last time, unable to speak a single syllable, before leaving.

                                                                                                       3 months later

Days went by fast after your break up with Thomas, since then you’d been trying to avoid him in every way possible, humiliation and pain being still too intense to let you face him without terrible consequences for your already vulnerable spirit. Indeed, everything around you was literally going to pieces right before your eyes and you couldn’t help it; even though you’d always been a strong girl, pretty capable of getting through life and its adversities, recent events had left you in a state of such deep sorrow, that the only thing you were able to do was seek any practicable form of anesthesia in order to escape from reality, even just for a brief moment. In fact, you’d been hanging out with a group of very low guys from East Birmingham, which led you to do drugs and bend your elbow more and more often, severely damaging your ability to think rationally, and the worst part was that you didn’t even care about what you were doing to yourself, as long as it allowed you to get along with your demons.

And then one night, your presumed new friends literally dragged you to the Garrison, despite your loud protests arising from the awareness of the fact that Thomas would’ve been there too. Luckily, long before the Shelby brothers made their usual entrance into their pub, you ended up being utterly intoxicated by alcohol and cocaine to the point that, when the moment finally came and Tommy showed up, you barely noticed him. Too bad for you, Tom’s eyes, on the other hand, never failed in spotting your silhouette among the crowd. At first, seeing you again after all those days brought pure relief to his soul, God only knew how much he had missed you, but soon after he remembered the reason why you were gone and his jaw clenched with regret and shame for the unforgivable way he had treated you.  Conscious of the fact that he had already caused you too much pain, Thomas was about to go away and leave you be, until he saw you diving in some random guy’s arms while heavy drinking directly from a bottle. It just wasn’t like you to act in such a way, therefore he immediately realized that something must have been wrong, so, before his mind had a chance to catch up with the rest of his body, Tommy found himself taking long strides in your direction, roughly elbowing anyone who was in his path. All of a sudden, you observed your friend’s face turn pale and his eyes go wide with fear for no apparently reason, Andrew kept staring at a precise point behind your shoulders and when you turned around in order to understand what was going on, Thomas Shelby was in front of you in all his glory. For a couple of seconds he just stood there, sending deadly glares at the poor boy next to you, blood boiling in his veins because of the violent rage that affected him, then his attention entirely moved to your trembling figure.

-I need a word with you- You felt your chest shrinking in pain as his calm and deep voice reached your ears, but you still tried to play it cool with a strength you didn’t know you had. -Fuck you already, Thomas- A resentful laugh erupted from your throat while, careful not to look in his mesmerizing eyes, you attempted to turn your back on him, yet a gentle grip on your forearm stopped your movements, forcing you to stay in your place.

-I’m begging you, y/n, we need to talk- This time his crystal blue gaze successfully entangled yours and your mind went totally black for a moment, preventing you to fight against him as he guided you out of the pub. Birmingham’s cold breeze immediately hit both of your bodies, but you were hardly able to sense it, due to the effects that drugs and alcohol had on your brain; once you were far enough from the chaos, Tommy stopped walking, his large hand still on your arm. -What are you doing?- His thumb made it to your beautiful face, softly wiping away from your nose the traces of that familiar white powder. -This is not you, y/n!-

His tone raised, displaying all of his concern, you simply gave him a forceful shove in attempt to push him away, but his toned chest didn’t move an inch. -Why do you even care, Tommy? After all I’m just a silly kid to you!- You started screaming, prey of your frustration, as soon as you felt hot tears forming in your eyes; the realization of how you still hopelessly loved him stabbed you right in the ribs.

-Please, just listen to me, okay?- He said while cupping your face with both his hands, probably to make sure you were looking at him, so you managed to childishly close your eyes in a last desperate demonstration of your hard feelings towards him. -I know I hurt you, I know the things I said to you were cruel and unfair, you didn’t deserve that, nothing of that was true- Thomas leaned his forehead against yours, even though you still had your eyes closed and your fists harshly pressed against his chest, his voice now sounding a lot closer. -I was going through a hard time and I was a fucking bastard for putting it all on you. But I swear to God, love, look at me- he slightly rocked you in order to get your attention -Look at me, I love you, y/n- Your eyelids flew open instantly, that being the very first time he clearly admitted his feelings for you, and suddenly you were no longer able to control all of your destructive emotions: your body was now racked with violent sobs as you finally let him hold you properly, crying out loud against his waistcoat and shirt. -Shh, shh- Tommy’s thumbs gradually wiped the tears away from your cheeks, while his lips briefly pecked yours multiple times. -It’s okay, we’ll be fine-  he mumbled in between kisses - let’s go home now-.

[inspirationdivine]

Trouble in Faeradise || Lydia and Deirdre

Timing: Shortly after Lydia and Simon got unstuck

Parties: @deathduty, @inspirationdivine

Summary: Lydia and Deirdre entice a human into a fairy ring. Things happen. As Deirdre puts it, it was not a mushroom vibe. 

Content Warnings: Compulsion (Fairy ring magic), emotional manipulation

Simon was darling and pleasant and very amenable, but if Lydia had had to be stuck to someone for so long, it would have rather been Deirdre. They hadn’t had enough opportunity to spend time together recently - for so many reasons, all of them understandable - but Lydia was desperate to bond more with the banshee. Especially now that Morgan had used the word love. So when she saw the banshee, Lydia gave her a hug in greeting. “Ready for some fun?”

The hug in greeting was a surprise, though one Deirdre prized. Perhaps she was right in thinking Lydia was warming up to her (it was very hard to tell when she still half-expected the other fae to turn around and yell “TRAITOR” at any moment). But there was no greater act of bonding between two fae than grabbing a human and taking them to the nearest fairy ring (Deirdre had spotted one in the woods earlier this week and her first thought about it was to tell Lydia). “As a fae, I think I was born ready for fun...and bones. Which I do consider to be fun.” She glanced around the irregularly busy street, filled with drunks stumbling from one bar to the next to cram their pathetic Friday nights with more excitement. “Speaking of, did you bring your big, white, windowless van or is this one of those tasteful kidnappings?” 

“Deirdre, I swear to god, please do not bring us to some mangled corpse,” Lydia replied, but with a soft nudge and wink that belied the gentle teasing of it all. “Or at least, not this time.” She eyed them too. To the left, three girls sipped seruptitiously at a bottle of water, or at least so they claimed, before joining the queue to a local club. Their skirts curled around their asses, matching in silver sequens. To their right, a man stumbled down a dark alley, whisper yelling his need to urinate to his friends. Lydia’s lip curled a little. “Totally tasteful, my dear. I suspect all we need to do is offer one of these fellows an irresistable night with two beautiful woman and they would follow us right into a dragon’s den. No kiss needed. Although I tend to prefer them high over drunk. Oh! What about that one over there?” Lydia asked, curling her hand around Deirdre’s arm, pointing at a girl with faded blue hair who was flipping off some guy as she texted at her phone.

What were the best humans to torture? Deirdre had often pondered the question. Some could be unsatisfying, like when they prattled on about children and wives and how their sick mother in the hospital was expecting someone to leave her roses. Most fae did not listen, or care, but Deirdre---always watching---was decidedly more observant. Ther fun humans were the drunk ones, too intoxicated to understand what was happening, and more likely to play off their strange fae encounter as some kind of by product of drugs. But then there were different types of drunks, weren’t they? And some were so sad. Deirdre’s eyes surveyed the crowd just as Lydia’s did. “But I love a good mangled corpse,” she pouted, scoping out a target. The men would be easy, and if they were good--which they were--they could snag a few of them for their purposes. Then her eyes fell to the girl. “She looks...angry.” Like she might realize in the middle of getting a mushroom shaved into her hair that she had a lot to live for and needed to follow her passion in creative writing instead of staying in the nursing program she hated. Which was...an outcome of undecided amounts of fun. This was easier in the past, when she cared less about what the lives of these humans looked like. Which was increasingly hard to ignore as she continued to human-watch. “I--you know what? Let’s go with the girl. She looks like she’s having a terrible night and isn’t it our duty to show her some fun?” Of course, fun for them, mushroom mind-control for her. 

“I know you do, but I don’t subject you to the local amatuer open mic nights, do I?”She does look angry. I like a challenge,” Lydia replied. Not that kind of challenge in her long term hunts, which were also in progress as they spoke, but for dancing around naked in the moonlight? Completely so. She waited for Deirdre’s indecision, her eyes flicking around to other options lazily - a man adjusting his crop top as he waited for a date, a woman staring back at them with glowing green eyes. The latter, Lydia thought, was definitely not human, and looked a wholly different kind of fun, but not for tonight. “It is definitely our duty,” Lydia replied with a smile. Arm hooked through Deirdre’s arm, they walked over to the woman side by side over to the woman with the white hair. “I hope those men aren’t giving you a hard time?” Lydia asked, voice as smooth as syrup. 

“You could--” Deirdre leaned in with a smirk, “maybe I’d like some entertainment with my wine next time.” Not that Lydia wasn’t entertaining alone, but as on a serious note, as friends, she assumed they’d share at least a little in each other’s interests. And so, just like that, they approached the girl.  And she, shocked to see two irrefutably attractive women, turned to them abruptly and with wide-eyes. She stopped texting, but her screen remained illuminating her face against the bars and clubs’ neon signs. 

“Yeah…” Emma said hesitantly, as if agreeing with them was a defeat on its own, “look, I don’t wanna be like, a part of your threesome or whatever, okay?” But the stutter around the words meant that, just for the brief second she used to take in their appearance, she had thought about it. She was sharp, and adjusted herself and her body to angle away from them, arms crossed over her chest. “What do you want?”

“We just wanted to help you,” Deirdre started softly, “we know how it can be, alone at night. We just wanted to make sure you were safe.” A pang of guilt rang through her. How safe would she be once they’d lead her into a fairy ring? The girl eyed them suspiciously, she offered no thanks or apologies for her harsh tone. Her body remained closed-off. 

Lydia matched Deirdre’s smirk with a more genuine smile. “Alright. Next time we’ll listen to some talentless hacks perform in the hope of finding some diamond in the rough, and then we’ll go on a walk to find something dead and pretty.” She had been teasing, but now she wasn’t. Not that it mattered for tonight, as they walked over to their evening’s entertainment. A threesome with a human? Lydia had her cringe well, and let Deirdre do the talking, soft and lily sweet. She could imagine it, Lydia thought. Being a human and looking at Deirdre and being entranced. Not aware that your death might be around the corner. But the girl was not impressed, her eyes distrustful. Perhaps she had grown up here, watching her friends disappear and die over time. Perhaps she had heard of magical threats and knew the risks. Perhaps she was merely sensible.

“Do you at least have friends coming to meet you?” Lydia asked softly, after a moments beat.

A deep, long suffering sigh. “No. They bailed, so I guess I’m headed home.”

“It sounds like you don’t want to do that.” Lydia replied, running her finger over her lips idly. “You know, we’re headed to an exclusive party. No creeps invited, very tightly vetted. If you don’t want to head into a club like that by yourself.” Lydia gestured to a queue for one of the clubs nearby. The girl pursed her lips, but she was looking at them more intently now, as if weighing it up. Tempted, even with her arms closed. 

“I’m not doing an orgy either, for the record.” The girl replied.

Was it softness that made her too weak? Did caring about humans force her into the kind of awareness that made it hard to abduct people? Hearing Lydia talk about an ‘exclusive party’ was ingenious, the kind of plan Deirdre should have been thinking about, but couldn’t. Instead she noticed how lost the girl seemed, how she’d perked up at the idea of something exclusive, as if she were special enough to be included, as if she mattered enough. A place where friends wouldn’t leave her. She wondered what her life must have been like to stir these feelings, if she’d ever had a true friend or if they’d just caught her on an off-night. Her deliberations did not show on her face, Deirdre’s soft smile didn’t falter. She was thinking too much about this. This was fae mischief; harmless. It was what fae did. “It’s not an orgy,” Deirdre laughed easily, as if it was some amusing thought. “I mean it could be if---I’m joking! I’m joking.” Deirdre took the moment to recover from her joke to assess the girl. What kind of an exclusive party would they paint this as? Upscale? Intimate? What did she seem more interested in? She watched the girls eyes dart around, observing where she lingered. The groups seemed to catch her eyes. Maybe she didn’t really like clubs, she just went because her friends did, what she really wanted was---”it’s just a small thing, really. Just some friends sitting around a fire, smoking, drinking, talking. It’s just---it’s hard to get to know people when the clubs and bars are so loud, right? And it always seems like everyone just wants something out of you and it’s---I don’t like it. So, an exclusive gathering. You don’t have to waste your night.” The girl’s arms slowly uncrossed. Bingo. She never would have noticed her loneliness if she didn’t have an empathetic eye---she might have stuck with clubbing angle, pitched it as something upscale (the humans did love the idea of fancy). She felt terrible for a moment, and then the girl spoke, and she felt worse. “How do I know I can trust you guys? And, like, if it’s your friends I don’t want to--” she caught her insecurity in her throat, swallowing it down and standing up a little straighter to cover it, “like, you know. It’s whatever, but how do I know this isn’t some weird like sex party thing? ‘Cause I told you, I’m not interested. How can I trust you?” 

Lydia’s gaze didn’t flicker as Deirdre continued describing it, although she was caught off guard. It was a risky proposition, after all. The idea of being outsiders at an insider event was off putting to most people. Something high end with an open bar was usually the safest bet. It was interesting too, to hear Deirdre describe what they were doing, how she crafted her half truths to suit this girl’s need. Yet here, the girl opened up, melting like butter into Deirdre’s words. Lydia gave Deirdre the slightest squeeze. “I promise, we’re not inviting you to take part in a sex party. I take my word very seriously.” 

The girl eyed her suspiciously, because of course it wasn’t enough. Instead, Lydia took a slightly different approach, leaning into one of this identity’s greatest uses. “My name’s Lydia Griffin. You can google me. I am the author of the Eyes to the Sky series. You can find a frankly terrifying amount of information about me in the blink of the eye. What’s your name?”

“You wrote that?” The girl replied, her eyes widening. “I started reading the first one a few weeks ago.” She realised, quickly, that she looked a little too eager, and tried to shutter her excitement as she did just what Lydia asked - googling her to find Lydia’s authorial portrait. “Holy shit. I’m Emma. Not, that, uh. I don’t know if I fit in with that kind of crowd.”

“That’s alright,” Lydia said, “It’s not that kind of party. Everyone is very welcoming and lovely. We’re always looking for new friends.” Emma’s eyes widened, like she couldn’t quite believe it, trying to play it cool. She looked to Deirdre, as if for a final reassurance. 

Deirdre tried her best to hide her shock at hearing Lydia reveal her identity. Now they really had to ensure to bind her into keeping their identities a secret or...did Lydia plan on killing her after? It wouldn’t be unheard of, and at the whim of the mushrooms, who knew which part of them would emerge dominant. But as she watched the girl’s eyes grow wide, a smile finally threatening to pull at her lips, she could see why. And now they had a name. Great. Now she’d know exactly who she was making hold her mushrooms, probably. And then Emma turned to her. Deirdre hid her hesitation well, but her voice dropped into a newfound gentleness. “It’s nice to meet you, Emma. I’m Deirdre, no fancy job or anything. I actually just met Lydia about a week ago,” she smiled at the other fae warmly to sell her point, “and most of her friends too. Some people there are strangers to me too, but they’ve been so kind and welcoming to me, especially being new in town.” She gestured to her throat, pointing out her accent. “Am I right in guessing you’re interested in literature?” Emma nodded slowly, nearly ashamed to admit it. “Well then, you just have to come. Lydia would love someone whose brain she could pick, right?” She smiled, “and there’ll be a lot of people there with similar interests. I wouldn’t really know, but there’s---uh, other authors, right?” She kept turning to Lydia, as if she needed clarification, reeling Emma in with her feigned hesitation. If one of them was less sure, it made the reluctant Emma more comfortable knowing her fears were shared. And unsurprisingly, she shrugged, biting her cheek to stop a smile. “Okay,” she said finally, “I’ll come.” 

Lydia suppressed the way she bristled at Deirdre’s lie, but the other fae might have just felt the shift of her wings. Not her problem, especially as she watched Deirdre sink the final hooks into Emma, one word at a time. It was almost word perfect too, creating the most perfectly relatable personality. Making herself seem human, even though Lydia knew Deirdre was anything but. She nodded along to Deirdre’s speech, and that in itself twisted Lydia’s belly a little. The moment Emma nodded, tucking her hair behind her ears, Lydia smiled, the ache dissipating. I’ll come, she said, and Lydia turned it into a promise, a thread to pull their prey along by.  “Great,” Lydia said, warm and inviting in tone. “It isn’t far. Walk with us?” She invited Emma, who after another moment rocked off the wall and began to walk with them. Although Deirdre had pitched it as Lydia’s party and Lydia’s crowd, it was Deirdre who had found the fairy ring - Lydia had no idea where it was. Deirdre had to lead them there. 

Emma seemed excited, all hidden the best she could under a stubborn wall. And in the same way, Deirdre felt guilty for what would come, hidden under walls she covered better. She hadn’t expected to feel this poorly about some mischief, but there she was, nearly shaking with reluctance. Was it stronger to swallow this feeling? Or to admit it, end the night, apologize to Lydia and move on? To quell the feeling, she reached out and looped her arm around Emma’s, though the hooks had been set and the promise made, she maintained the act of reeling the woman in--in some way, as an apology for what would come. With her feigned excitement, she led the way for the three of them, out of the well-lit bars, into dimmer streets, then where the forest began. All the while, she made sure to ask Emma questions about herself---superficial at best, lest she dare feel even worse than she already did---and boast about their upcoming party. “It’s just over here, I think?” She led them into the clearing, giddy from the nearby mushrooms, “oh shoot! Did I get us lost again?” She laughed, unable to help herself. The mushrooms were right there. And some part of her, that still maintained any bit of sense, thought it might be good to pretend like they were lost instead of the party not existing. “I swear it was by the mushroom-shaped tree around the mushroom bush into the mushroom?” Deirdre quivered with excitement. Emma looked between the two of them, smiling still from their previous conversation. “Oh, that’s cool, I can just look it up how to get back on my phone and---” As Emma tried to explain, Deirdre reached out and swatted the phone down to the ground, screeching. “Mushro--I mean, spider! Oh, sorry, I thought there was a spider on your phone.” To Lydia, she gestured with her head to the fairy ring, hidden by some long grass. 

Lydia chimed in on the conversation occasionally, with small delicate tidbits or questions to supplement Deirdre’s. The closer they got to the mushrooms, the more Lydia’s inside felt like champagne. Light and fizzy and delicate, sweet and soothing. If she listened carefully, she could already feel that silent, magical music, thrumming through her in complete harmony. Her black dress felt itchy, her boots to encumbering. Lydia wanted to feel mulch and worms beneath her toes, to spread her wings and glow. The moon was just right too. Deirdre smacked the phone out of Emma’s hand, and Lydia made a show of typing something into google on hers before Emma picked her up again. “I’ve got it! Lydia called, holding up her own phone. “This way,” Lydia called, her voice like bells as she pulled Emma deeper into the woods. One, two, three - Lydia nearly moaned as they stepped inside the fairy ring, the magic pure excstacy, “We’re here!”

“I… don’t see a party,” Emma said, looking uncertainly at Deirdre once again, Lydia noticed. And again. Humans were not subtle with their favourites. Lydia laughed.

“Don’t you? Can’t you hear the mushroom music? See all our friends below?” There were gnomes in the circles too, that Lydia pointed to, already kicking off one shoe. “We’re going to have so much fun my dear,” she promised, and smiled against Emma’s cheek, eerily close. ‘Now, my dear, dance for me here.”

Something felt bad in the pit of Deirdre's stomach, like she ate spoiled yogurt. Something about the mushrooms didn't seem right, and with the last of her sense, she opened her mouth to apologize or stop this or—"MUSHROOOOMS!!" she jumped up and down on Emma's phone, cracking the screen before she skipped over to Lydia and joined in the glorious mushroom song. She found the ring with ease, stepping in and feeling all at once the only thing that ever mattered: mushrooms. Here, nothing was wrong. Nothing was ever wrong with mushrooms. "You can't have all the fun without me!" Deirdre laughed giddily, bouncing from one foot to the other. Deirdre kicked her shoes off, peeling off her top with another fluid motion (mushrooms were always better enjoyed in the nude). Emma, on the other hand, was filled with less glee. She moved to dance clunkily, almost as if she didn't want to. "No, No!" Deirdre groaned, grabbing Emma's hands. "You humans dance all bad! Like this!" She demonstrated, pulling her this way or that, light on her feet and expert enough to avoid crushing any gnomes. "These are our friends! Play us some music, Emma!" Emma's eyes grew wide as her lips pursed, she tried to whistle a song, maintaining her pathetic dance routine, but the sound kept cracking as she sobbed silently. "Okay, no more music; your music is sad. You're supposed to be happy! Lydia, why isn't she happy? Is it because she's human?" She turned to her friend, who understood the joy of mushrooms just as she did. 

The first boot off, Lydia quickly kicked it out of the ring, and into the dark. The rhythm thrumed through her, and she laughed at Deirdre, with Deirdre, dancing to the rhythm of the music as she kicked off her next boot. Slide her arms down the length of her body, like she might for a lover, to ruck up her dress and pull it over her head. She giggled, left just in  bra and her underwear as she watched Deirdre pull the human into dance, tried to get her to make the music. “Oh my god, she can’t sing or dance? What kind of fucking human did we pick up. Next time, we’ve gotta pick up a group. Still, I guess we can figure something out.” Emma sobbed, and Lydia smiled as she wiped those ugly tears away. “Don’t cry.” Emma stopped with a strangled gulp, her eyes widening and drying up at once. “Ugh, what a fucking eyesore. C’mon, let’s find you something to do to entertain us. Can you juggle?” Emma shook her head. “Can you try?” A small nod. “Sweet. Here, try with these!” Lydia grinned again, picking up some very conveniently sharp rocks. 

Deirdre tried to pull off her pants, but they were too tight. Why were her pants so tight? And why couldn't she disrobe and dance at the same time? And why did the mushroom music sound like bones being tapped together when there were no bones? Why were there no bones? These questions plagued Deirdre's mind. So she hopped from one foot to the other in her bra and leather pants, insecure about her abundance of clothing. She would have shed the bra if it didn't mean she couldn't wav her arms to the mushroom beat. And then there was Emma, poor, sweet disgustingly human Emma. She tried to juggle, but she was so bad at it. Just like she was bad at dancing and whistling and she was trying so hard not to cry that her face was ugly red and blotchy. She dropped a rock on her foot, wiched and picked it up to juggle again. She dropped it again. Picked it up. Dropped it. Cut her finger on the sharp edge of one of the rocks, spilling blood into their fairy ring. She bit her lip and tried to juggle again. She wanted to cry so badly that she was blubbering now, but her tears wouldn't come. Her cut seemed to grow wider, the rocks were stained with blood as she tossed them around in a mockery of juggling. Deirdre dropped her hands, she didn't like this. The mushrooms didn't like this. "Stop that," she commanded, and Emma dropped her rocks to the floor, causing gnomes to scramble away. She picked up her shirt and wrapped it around Emma's bleeding finger. "Lydia," she whined, "I don't like this human. She makes me feel bad. Like bad on the inside. I can't enjoy the dancing like this! We should have went with the group. Should we get rid of her? I-I'm so sorry, Lydia. I'm so bad at doing things. I'm so sorry. I wanna be good. I try to be good. Why isn't this fun for me? Do I need—maybe I need to be more naked." And now she was crying as she blabbered on. 

Lydia, on the other hand, couldn’t stop laughing, throwing a leaf or twig at Emma every time she dropped it with an inelegant woop. The blood didn’t bother her, humans bled so very easily, and cried and whined and whimpered so very easily.  They always did at these things, unless you kissed them or drugged them, or were just really, really not very risk aware at all, which was common in humans too. She thrust her hips and swung her arms in a wave like shape, the traditional Leanan summer dance. When she glanced at Deirdre through, her movements slowed, and she stepped over her bra to the banshee in some concern. Her leaves mulched between her toes as she walked over to Deirdre, bandaging the human up and stopping it like that. “Oh for fuck’s sake, Deirdre, we can’t go back for the group now. Is it because she’s sad? They’re freaking always sad, Deirdre, they don’t want to be here. That’s half the fun, they’re prey! Is this because of Morgan? Do you want me to take off your bra to make you feel better?”

"Well, I know that but..." Deirdre trailed off, blinking, waiting for Lydia to understand it. "I wish Morgan was here," she mumbled. Things were better with Morgan; she would explain why she was sad, she would understand. Deirdre wished she was dancing the mushroom tune with her. But she wasn't. She was here with Lydia and sad, un-fun Emma. "I don't want them to be sad! It ruins the mushrooms!" Morgan would get it. Deirdre frowned, looking between Emma and her pleading eyes and Lydia and her steady ones. "You're right. I'm just not naked enough for this. Can you take my bra off? I can't reach it right." And her pants too, but she wasn't going to push her luck and ask for that. She spared one last look at sad Emma. "Smile, Emma! Be happy!" She told her, and Emma's red face sported a wide but thin and unnatural smile. "There! See! All better! The mushrooms are pleased! You're so smart, Lydia." 

All the air rushed out of Lydia. The fairy ring cloud was thick in her mind, but now she wasn’t floating above it in a giddy rush so much as stuck beneath it, wondering where the sun had gone. She looked down at the gnomes, swaying and dancing between their ankles. The odd one looked up and gave them a sharp look, as if telling to get with the program. She smiled, snaking her arms around Deirdre to catch the clasp and unfasten it, pulling the straps down Deirdre’s arms and letting that fall to the ground too. “Yeppers, great. Now she’s all happy, so you can take her home and woo her and fall in love with her and adopt a cat with her.” Lydia turned away, her elytra raising sharply, her skin glowing harsh gold under the moonlight. “All I want to do is celebrate not being stuck to someone anymore and all you want is to be back with your barely non-human girlfriend. In a fairy ring! That kinda sucks, Deirdre! Ugh. Let’s just send her into the woods to be eaten by an alghoul and dance, okay? I said, don’t cry!” That was directed at Emma, who had sniffled around her strangely twisted mouth. 

Nudity had finally been achieved...well, half-achieved, as her stubborn, tight pants remained. But Deirdre could work with this now. And Emma was smiling, and everything was okay if she just didn’t look too hard or think too hard or focus on anything that wasn’t dancing. Everything was the way it should be in a fairy ring! Happy and naked and--- “Lydia?” Deirdre reached out for her friend, a hand hovering above her shoulder--pausing as she regarded the wings. “I don’t wanna do any of that. I wanna dance with you.” But it was hard to dance when Lydia wasn’t looking at her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled. “I won’t talk about Morgan anymore.” Even though, among bones and mushrooms, Morgan was the only thing she really wanted to talk about it. And she couldn’t understand what was wrong. Did Lydia want to adopt a cat with her too? “Let’s dance! Let’s dance!” She reached for her hand, trying to rope her back into some dancing. “You’re so pretty, Lydia. You’re the most beautiful woman---” second to Morgan, and herself, and that mushroom over there and that skeleton she saw a few days ago. “---you have wings! You’re so cool! I look like a stupid human. I look like an Emma!” She gestured to their dumb, useless entertainment meat sack. “I’m sorry I wasn’t dancing. I’m dancing now! Emma, turn around so I can’t look at you.” And Emma did, just as Deirdre tactfully avoided the idea of killing her. Something about that didn’t vibe with the mushrooms, deep inside. “Do you want a cat, Lydia?”

“Hmph!” Lydia replied. “Don’t say things that can be turned into promises you can’t keep. It’s not that you’re even talking about your girlfriend. Its- whatever. Whatever!” Lydia threw her hands up in the air, but turned when Deirdre reached for her hand, into the touch. She didn’t immediately begin to dance, she didn’t want to, not when Deirdre would rather have a zombie in the ring than her, not when she saw the signs of - Lydia swallowed. Nope. Nep. Níl. This was fairy ring magic soaking into her bones, she could let go of such worries. Especially with Deirdre feeding right into her vanity like this, filling her heart with butterflies. “Darling, you never look stupid. I’ve seen your eyes go black and all death predicty, and you’re more beautiful than any of them could ever be.” So why would you date one? Lydia bit the inside of her cheek hard to hold that question back. “No. My pets are already a handful. But you know, I met Beans the other day, he was a real cutie.” She couldn’t help it - the desire to bubble up again was overreaching. Mushrooms broke things down, but brought life too, and it overflowed in her despite the sting she couldn’t repress in the moment. She let Deirdre pull her into dance, squeezing her hand briefly. Lydia spun and turned to Emma, already over the slight from the moment before. “Hey, can you-” No, Deirdre didn’t want that. Lydia rolled her eyes, and turned her attention back to the dance. Waste of a good human. 

“Please don’t make me promise to stop talking about my girlfriend! I like my girlfriend. I like talking about her. She dances really good by the way, and--” Deirdre trailed off, embarrassed. For some reason (Deirdre suspected cat jealousy), Lydia didn’t like hearing about Morgan. Or was it...did Lydia not like Morgan? “Do you have a problem with my girlfriend? ‘Cause you’re being a real H-word right now.” The H-word being human, naturally. “Which means like, you’re confusing me. If you have something to say, you should say it! The mushrooms would want that.” And though this was supposed to be some confessional moment, Deirdre continued her dancing. There was no greater balm for the soul than the mushroom music, after all. “No, you’re really pretty! Like the prettiest! You’re my favorite fae in town. The rest are all so...not cool like you. I love you, and mushrooms, and bones, and pie and---Not you, Emma! I said turn around!” She paused, “we’re doing sooo much talking and not enough dancing, I feel.” Which clearly meant they needed more dancing, and more and more and...what was that? “What?” She giggled her curiosity to Lydia, “what did you want Emma to do?“

“I’m not, obviously, but if you weren’t going to you shouldn’t have said you would!” Lydia retorted. The opportunity to make it a promise would have been as easy as catching a fly in a fridge, but she watched it sail past all the same, until it was much too late to do anything, like any good friend would. The next words out of Deirdre’s mouth made Lydia’s nose flare, her wings flashing brightly and aggressively. “I’M AN H WORD? You’re the one who won’t let me have fun with the human RIGHT here! You’re the one who fell in love with a human! You’re the one who let me find that out from your girlfriend instead of you! We’re standing in a FUCKING FAIRY RING, which are so rare this time of year we probably won’t see another until August, and all you want is to be with your zombie girlfriend! I don’t have a problem with her, I have a problem with you!” Lydia stomped her foot, squelching on some kind of decaying fruit or dead animal remains or probably even human remains in a place like this. She bopped her chest and spun in the music of the mushrooms, and yep, the gnomes were definitely judging them now. “You just told me to say what I feel! I was happy being a fae in a fairy circle, make the human pull out her own hair lock by lock, or dance until she inevitable collapsed of exhaustion and then make her dance more anyway or see whether she can climb a tree without breaking her neck but if you don’t want to see her cry then we won’t freaking do any of that!”

Deirdre crumpled, taking each sentence Lydia flung at her with a wince and a whimper. This was not the mushroom vibe. “I just---” She deflated, curling into herself. “I just wanted to spend time with you, and do something fun. I know you didn’t like people attached to Simon, and I want to get to know you better because you’ve been such a good friend and I just wanna dance naked and--” she sniffled. “It’s weird for me. Humans used to not be people but now they kind of feel like people and I don’t like it and Emma cries really ugly and I don’t want to look at it but I also want to spend time with you and have fun and I want you to have fun and---” she blubbered on, catching a glimpse of the gnomes below, scowling at them the way gnomes did. “Of course I wish Morgan was here, I always wish she was. I like spending time with her. She doesn’t make me feel---” scared, but the word caught in her throat. It wasn’t Lydia’s fault Deirdre was terrified, and she did like spending time with the other fae. But she couldn’t help that something in her had changed, and whatever that was, it was making something about this whole affair very unpleasant. But Lydia’s problem was with her. She was the problem. She didn’t like that. She didn’t like being problems. The desire for approval flared deep within her, and she pulled a knife from her boot and sunk it easily into Emma’s shoulder---garnering a yelp and cry. “We can play with her! I’m sorry. I’ll be good! We can play! Emma, turn around and dance, and don’t say a word unless spoken to.” And Emma, the dutiful entertainment source, did as commanded. 

In normal circumstances, Lydia would have regretted the words the moment the words left her mouth. Normally, she would have never been so extremely honest. Watching Deirdre crumple into herself, shrinking up the way Simon had, made Lydia’s heart ache. Her small hands had curled into fists, hurt and stung by being called the worst thing you could be. People slang words like murderer and evil and manipulative at her from time to time, but no one had ever accused her of being human. No one ever could, not with how she dealt with her diet. “Humans always feel like people. They think like people, too. That doesn’t change what they are, ever.” Her voice was quieter, but still simmering with heat in it. “No shit you like spending time with her, you love her, but this is fae. This belongs to us, no other species! She makes you feel what?” Deirdre bent down as Lydia swivelled her hips in rhythm, her eyes widening when she saw the glint of sharpened metal, reflecting in gold glow. She gasped as Deirdre thrust it into Emma’s shoulder, covering her mouth. A giggle surprised her, followed by another and another, until she was laughing at the sad human’s pain, the grief look of betrayal in Emma’s eyes. Oh, she’d hoped that Deirdre was a nice one. Poor lost Emma. Lydia laughed and took Deirdre’s hands, ignoring the blood, and pulled her into a twisting, spinning dance. Emma didn’t speak, as she… did the Macarena, but the longer she danced, the more her top stuck to her skin and grew shiny as blood trickled out of the wound, worsened by every move of her arm. Her face grew even paler, her movements becoming sluggish. The injured arm dropped to her side, even as Lydia tasked. “Dance faster, girl.”

“But if you think they’re people, how can you---” Deirdre frowned, though she left the topic where it laid. She was too high for this. Too focused on being naked and dancing. She knew the logic well. Humans were inferior, inherently. And they lacked the innocent, simple minds of the animals. And so, they were okay to torture and degrade. Fae were superior, in all regards. But she’d loved a human as her equal, and in doing so, cursed herself with the thought that more humans could be seen that way---even if Morgan was just special. She hadn’t pieced it together completely, and she certainly wasn’t going to try when the mushrooms were singing. “I want to share fae things with her too,” she mumbled, though her words were lost under Lydia’s laughter. That was good, she was laughing. All was forgotten. Deirdre kept her eyes away from the human, laughing along into her spin and dance. Emma struggled, though forced to dance fast, her movements were clunky like a puppet’s strings being haphazardly tossed around. Deirdre couldn’t watch, but didn’t want Lydia to see her remorseful, and so she kept her eyes on the grass under Emma. But these weren’t fae things, she wanted to say, these weren’t the things she wanted to share with Morgan. They were just...cruel. Was this all fae were? The mushroom song seemed to ebb and flow as her mind resisted what was happening around her. For the sake of her sanity, she focused on dancing. Dancing was fun. “Sorry I said you were acting like an H-word, Lydia. I didn’t mean it!” She said, happily enough. “I was just a little sad you weren’t being honest with me. Friends should be honest, right?” Spoken by the liar, as she danced and ignored the pained human. “But we should have fun! Are you having fun now?” Would conversation distract Lydia from torturing Emma? Would it save her pathetic, inherently inferior, human life? 

“I don’t think they’re people. They aren’t.” Lydia replied curtly. Fortunately, all that dissipated with Deirdre in her arms. Even if she was still in those cursed leather jeans which… did make her ass look great, sure, but Lydia was a betting woman. Deirdre’s ass would look great regardless. She spun Deirdre under her arms, shimmying her chest and beating her wings to the beat. Her elytra moved too, an intricate dance only those with beetle like wings could do. God, she was proud of her wings, especially glowing under the moonlight. Unlike Deirdre, she watched Emma keenly, grinning at the absurd obscenity of it all. She wouldn’t have stabbed the girl, far too gross for her liking, but it did add a delightfully macabre element to it, didn’t it? “Friends should be honest, but you weren’t being honest with me, either.” Lydia didn’t point out that she still wasn’t being honest, that Lydia could see how Deirdre turned her head away from Emma, over and over and over. With the mushrooms on her mind, though, Lydia couldn’t bring herself to care, giggling once more as Emma stumbled. And the She fell, clutching her shoulder, her face contorted in fresh waves of pain, but even on the floor, she wriggled like a worm, her body determined to dance even as her strength was failing. “Oh no, I think you broke her.” Lydia said with a laugh.

They were like people, right. Deirdre hid another frown. She had hoped, maybe, that Lydia would see it the way she did. How did she begin to reconcile these things together? And did it matter, in the face of mushrooms? Probably not. And how could they when Lydia looked radiant? “You’re beautiful,” she gasped and then giggled, watching her wings with awe, tinged by envy. She wanted to touch them. She lifted her hand and opened her mouth to ask when Emma fell over. That was bad, right? That was probably bad. But if she went over there, Lydia wouldn’t think she was cool, and that was worse, right? Her morals lost their legs under the mushroom’s influence, she tried to make some part of her stand, but all that was left was the girl who craved to be the kind of fae that Lydia was. But--- “No! She can’t do that! We have to get her to promise not to say anything first!” Deirdre shimmied to her, falling to the floor beside her and groping around for some discarded clothing. She could not remember how medical care worked in her state, but she knew blood was bad. Immobility was bad. “Emma? Stop dancing, Emma.” She couldn’t help while she was writhing. “Listen to the mushrooms, Emma. You need to stay awake to dance and entertain us.” And live, and go home, and pretend like none of this had happened. Deirdre pulled the knife out of her, quickly pressing the discarded shirt to the gushing wound. “What are the promises, Lydia?” She turned to the other fae, “what do we usually make them say? No telling anyone about what happened? No talking about who we are or what we look like? No--D-do we make her forget?” 

Lydia rolled her eyes as Deirdre’s will gave, and she watched her friend rush over to help the writhing, wriggling human. No matter, the mushrooms called and Lydia was more than thrilled to solo with the tiny gnomes. These dances were as old as time itself, which was why she grunted as she jumped from leg to leg, raising each knee to her chest and simultaneously clapping her hands against her other knee. But she stilled with a sigh as Deirdre called to her.  Lydia knelt in the decomposing leaves, her hand cupping Emma’s face. The true terror there wasn’t as fun without another fae to share. “I don’t have the magic to make her forget. Oh well. I’ll do this, you focus on her shoulder. Hey, Emma, pet, you did so well. Would you prefer it if we killed you now, or got you back to town?” Without realising, Lydia had turned to the soft lilting way she spoke to her own humans at some times, gently smoothing down Emma’s blue hair as she smiled at the human. “Darling, I can’t hear you. A little louder, please.”

“T-town.”

“Oh, there we go, that wasn’t so hard, was it. And all we need is three little promises.” Lydia gently wiped the grime off her face, wiping away those nearly dried tears. “Can you do that for me?” A small nod. “I want you to promise that you’ll never tell anyone anything that happened tonight.” 

“I promise.”

“I want you to promise that you’ll never describe Deirdre nor I to anyone in any way, not even via drawing, nor reveal our whereabouts, or indicate anything about us to anyone”

“I-I promise.”

“There. Last one, and this is the hardest. We have complete control of you for the rest of the week if we want it, you know. So what I really want you to do? Is continue as if nothing happened. Go to class, church, book club, whatever it is you usually. Do. Go home like you would after a night in the club, and sleep it off. Do you promise that?” 

Emma groaned in pain, and met Lydia’s eyes for the first time that night. They were an unyielding blue. As impersonal as a statue. “Y-Yes.”

Lydia pat Emma’s hair. “Good girl. Try and stand up, and we’ll walk you back. Right, Deirdre?”

How was Lydia so collected right now? The more Deirdre looked at Emma, the more her head started to swirl into a mushroom. Her foot began to tap a rhythm nervously as Lydia went on. She couldn’t focus, she didn’t want to focus. She wanted to be home, where things were gentle. “You don’t have to---” she croaked, though her sentence did not end. If only she had more sense, she could focus on getting the promises out so Lydia wouldn’t have to. She wanted to have fun, this wasn’t fun. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled, her apology directed at both women. “No!” She stood up abruptly, “no, we have to dance! I’m going to make this fun for you! She can walk back, and if she dies on the way, who cares, right? I wanna dance with you. I wanna have fun with you. You’re my friend. She’s not. I don’t want to walk her anywhere!” She pouted, crossing her arms over her bare chest. “It’s dance time! That’s what the mushrooms want.”

It was a relief to hear Deirdre’s protest, that the night wasn’t completely lost. That they wouldn’t have to leave these fine pastures for Deirdre’s bleeding heart. Lydia stood, and so did Emma, clutching at her shoulder. “You heard her, it’s that way, roughly. Don’t follow any dancing light and it you hear something growl, run. Have fun.” Lydia replied with a sharp smile. Emma stared at Deirdre, her lip wobbling. “Now.” As if dragged on a lead, Emma turned and walked away. No, as Lydia watched her, walking was far too generous a word. She stumbled and yelled as she tripped on a branch here, but staggered back up, swaying as she moved forward. Lydia grew bored quickly of watching. Despite all her moods this evening, one was universal. Lydia turned back to Deirdre with a broad smile. “C’mon. It’s time to get you out of those leather pants.”

[razorblade180]

Rosebud prep 8

[Tai’s House]

Today was a special day. Lately Ruby has been having a life’s worth of those. From the excitement of Weiss’s luxurious baby shower, to the knowing what it’s like to not see her own toes. She’s roughly roughly eight months pregnant and has been assaulted with every conceivable thing they pregnancy had to offer. It was very fortunate that not only had she married a patient man. She married one with enough sisters to handle any obstacle. Truly Ruby has lucked out once again. Combat skirts and corsets had been ditched for months and replaced with Tai’s oversized T-shirts and her red sweat pants. It was scary how used she had gotten to do nothing. The thought of weighing herself gave her dread to the point Jaune keeps track of the number without revealing it. Everyday there was pain coursing through her feet and the baby has obviously gotten her high spirits because boy did it kick hard! Ruby loved every moment of it.

Right now the woman sat in one of Maria’s many rocking chairs and enjoyed the fresh autumn air. The sky is painted an intoxicating orange that gave her chills. Her hand on her stomach as she lightly hummed. As much as she loved fairytales, nursery rhymes escaped her mind often. The only song that was constant in her mind was Gold since Yang had lovingly lulled the girl to sleep with it all the time growing up. It would just be another thing to bond over along with being an autumn born child. At this point she was crossing her fingers that this kid would get something from Jaune. Her train of thought was broken the moment her gaze went away from the sky and back to the porch’s other guests.

Ruby:*smiling* You know y’all didn’t have to take time off for me right?

Yang:You are actually insane if you believe for even a second that I am going to be across the world when you go into labor. I will be around for my baby sister giving birth to her baby. No ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Ruby:Blake can you please tell your future wife that being here for a month is crazy and better spent planning the wedding she’s dreamed of?

Blake:Do you think I would be here if I agreed with you? This baby tops whatever plans we have. Yang has already bought a shirt that says “hot aunt” on the front.

Ruby:I wanna believe you’re joking, but I absolutely know your not.

Weiss:I begged her not to.

Yang:Then she found one in white.

Weiss:Now we match.

Ruby:You didn’t....

Weiss:We both know how I feel about kids. Better believe that shirt is hanging up in a proud spot in my closet.

Blake:If it makes you feel better they also had a black one. We are all still color correct.

Ruby:And I thought Jaune was losing it over this bundle of joy. All of you are no better.

Yang:Where is the baby daddy anyways? I thought he’d never leave your side.

Jaune:*opens door* He hasn’t.

Tai:*walks out with ice tea pitcher* He was just helping me in the kitchen.

Jaune:What did I miss?

Ruby:Yang is replacing you as clinging blonde who loves this baby.

Yang:Oh don’t act like you don’t love it.

The older sister walks over as tea is passed around. She kneels down and gently wraps her arms around Ruby; laying her head on the baby bump and making her little sis giggle.

Yang:Hey there little rascal. Your mother thinks we’re all looney for loving you so much but she’s just playing cool. I can tell out of everyone that she’s thrilled the most. Just wait, I’ll gonna smother you with love the way only an aunt can. This family is pretty noisy but we know you’ll get used to it.

Ruby:Pfft, now I feel bad. I- Yang....?

Yang:Right now the whole family can’t be here but that’s okay. You’re gonna love uncle Ren and auntie Nora. If anyone who’s an expert on kids by now it’s them. Not to mention your great uncle Qrow. He might look grumpy but he’s a big softie. His semblance makes him wary to be around Ruby right now but I’m sure you’ll get along great.

Ruby:Yang....

Yang:Am I forgetting anyone really important? Well there’s-

Ruby:YANG!!

Yang:Huh???

Ruby:I uhhh, I think my water just broke.

Everyone:......

Jaune:.......WHAT!?

Suddenly Ruby hunches over like the wind got knocked out of her. Yang quickly jumps to her feet and is fully alert and caught of gaurd.

Yang:Right now!?

Ruby:Ri....agh! Yeah it’s definitely right now!

Tai:I’ll drive!!!

Blake:I’ll call ahead!!!!

Weiss:I’ll make sure we have everything. This is actually happening!

Jaune:Alright Ruby, up you go. Let’s go have a baby....

Ruby:Ugh, this gonna hurt a lot isn’t it?

xxxx

Ruby: AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Doctor M:You’re doing great Ruby. Just a little bit more to go I promise!

Ruby:It........really hurts........

She had been screaming for at least half an hour now; not that she could really tell. First it was from the contractions but now came the time to actually push. Desperately she tried to control her breathing as did nothing but focus on the task at hand. Her hair clinged to her forehead that was covered in sweat that coated everywhere. Ruby never felt so tired before. Fighting Salem was ten times easier than this hands down. Once or twice Ruby looked to her right to see Jaune looking at her with nothing but vigor and determination; silently letting her know that he was here and that she could do this. His hand being grabbed like a vice by hers as she nodded. Screw the pain, the sweat, the blinding lights; none of that mattered. She had a job to do and she knew that it’ll be worth it. The only thing that mattered was to-

Doctor M: PUSH!!!!!

Ruby:AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

The echoes of scream mightier than a grimm dragon filled the halls off Vale’s hospital. Everyone sat in the waiting room in nail biting anticipation. Few people around them needed to ask what had them so tense. Consciously Yang knew the reason for the screaming yet it didn’t calm her big sister instincts as she paced around the tile floor. Each scream making her flinch hard. She doesn’t think she ever heard Ruby in such pain. Blake saw her partner gradually start to unravel bit by bit and took her hand in reassurance.

Blake:She’ll be alright.

Yang:I know but.....

Tai:Trust me when I say Summer screamed louder. I know Jaune must be scared to death right now.

Blake:My mom apparently sounded like some primal beast with me. I hope I don’t sound too bad.

Yang:....

Blake:What?

Yang:You....want kids? *blushing*

Blake:Yeah. Wait, do you not?

Yang:Oh I want kids we just never really mentioned it before. That’s just...phew, anyone else light headed?

Weiss:Yang please go sit down and I’ll go get you some water.

Yang:*sits* Thank you.

The Heiress wonders off at brisk speed. I’m truth, Weiss also really couldn’t take hearing the screams of her partner happen in intervals. She was granted a reprieve however since the vending machine was a few floors down; the sounds being almost like whispers. The glare from the setting sun hurt her stress filled eyes to the point she wanted to cover the window in solid ice. Two water bottles finally came out and Weiss immediately put one of them on her forehead with her eyes closed.

Weiss:(Ruby I love you pieces but you’re making my head pound)

Thump Thump Thump....

Weiss:*opens eyes* That...that wasn’t my head.

Thump Thump Thump....

The noise continues in random succession as Weiss confusingly walks around the area until it eventually gets louder. Her head turns to see a door completely on the the other end slightly jiggle in beat of the thumping with a nurse by it. The blue sign next to it quickly told her what room it was.

Weiss:The restroom???

xxxx

Doctor M: Alright Ruby, just give me one more big push. You’re in the home stretch.

Ruby: huff...Sweatie..?huff

Jaune:I’m here. *tighting grip*

Ruby:I know. *smirks* Ready to lose our bet?

Jaune:*smiles* Only one way to find out.

Doctor M:All set!?

Ruby:Bring it on.

Doctor M:One three then. One...Two...THREE!!!

Call it her second, conviction, you can call it the absolute power of the Gods and women itself. Regardless of the label, Ruby Rose summoned every once of strength she had left to push as hard as she could; a kind of strength that she didn’t even know was possible at all let alone something she could possess. With it came a scream but from the pain. It was resolve. Love. Soon the screamed was met another that silenced hers. It was small yet so mighty that Ruby couldn’t help but succumb to tears. She wasn’t the only one. Jaune braced his arm against her hospital bed while his right hand covered his mouth; tears forming as easily as rain.

The doctor grinned at both of them as she held the source of the small scream wrapped up in a blanket in her arms. All Ruby could do is put her hands out in an eager and tired attempt to hold finally see her baby; the doctor didn’t make her wait a second longer and put it gently in her arms. Time felt like it stopped; reality slipping away. The only thing that remained was her, Jaune, and the new addition to their life. Her finger brushing a head of black and faded red hair out of the way to reveal eyes that dazzled like the moon; like hers. Ruby slowly pulled it closer to her chest to embrace tiny warmth further. Jaune reached out to cradled the both of them and doing his best not to fall apart.

Jaune:Doctor, can you do the honors?

Doctor M:Congratulations to your healthy baby boy.

Ruby:A boy. Jaune we have a beautiful baby boy. *sniffling*

Doctor M:Looks like someone needs to be fitted for a dress.

Jaune:Wouldn’t be the first time. I’d lose a thousand times over for this moment.

Tai:Oh my goodness...

The new parents look up to see Tai, Yang, and Blake crowding the doorway in awe. Ruby waves them in one by one happily seeing their face light up as they get closer.

Ruby:Hey you guys. Come meet the newest member of the group. Dustin Arc Rose.

Tai:I’m a grandpa.....*tearing up*

Blake:He is gorgeous.

Yang:How are you feeling?

Ruby:Like I fought a hundred battles in a row. Jaune I have no idea how your mother did this eight time. Arc’s really are a sturdy bunch.

Jaune:Trust and believe that no one knows what makes her such a trooper but hey, you’re one too now. Is there anything the number one huntress can’t do?

Ruby:Not as long as she has you. All of you.

Yang:Can I hold him please?

Doctor M:Hold up. As much as I love creating beautiful moments, still have a job to do which ruins them. I gotta clean the little guy off properly and make sure he’s actually all ready to go. Those screams where a good sign and if he’s anything like his parents then this won’t take too long. Ruby I hate to be a mood killer but....

Reluctantly she handed over her baby and received a wink from the doctor as she exited the room. She already missed him but was immediately surrounded by family smiles. Tai handed her another well deserved pillow for his daughter. Adrenaline and holding Dustin was all that kept her body from instant fatigue black out but now it was trying to catch her. Sleep never sounded so good.

Jaune:You okay there Rubes?

Ruby:You think the doctor would be upset if you used your aura to give me a pick me up?

Jaune:I feel like this type of tired is above my threshold.

Tai:If you’re anything like your mother then you’ll bounce back better than ever.

Ruby:Hehe, looks like I’m getting cooler from here on out.

Yang:That’s nothing new. Just rest up, you can have my water whenever Wei-Oh my god Weiss missed all of this because of me!!!!

Ruby:I was wondering where she was.

Blake:She’s going to be so livid.

Yang:Wh...who knows? Maybe she will be completely calm about the whole thing?

Weiss:*runs in* H E Y ! ! ! Tell me I’m not late!?

Yang:Ahh! I’m sorry! We already saw the baby and he’s adorable! He’ll be back in a few minutes with- *turns around*

Yang’s words got caught in her throat as she saw the shaken expression on Weiss’s face. Urgency filled the shorter girls eyes but that’s not what stunned th room. Weiss’s clothes, they were covered in blood. The Two more sets of footsteps come from behind her. One was a trembling nurse who was also covered in blood as she supported a body around her shoulder. The person was bleeding from their torso and looked half dead; their head hanging and in ruined surgical attire. The room went pale and stomachs dropped when they saw person raise their head with fading eyes. It was doctor Michaels.

Doctor Michaels:Tr.....p tr...a..p

Tears ran down her face before her body went limp. The nurse layed her on the ground and was about to rush in to grab tools but immediately stopped at the sight of the doctors face. She gone. Ruby felt completely numb. If this was the doctor....

Jaune:EVERYBODY FAN OUT!!!

Ruby watched Jaune and her team dash out the room immediately and slpit off; busting open Every single door they came across. Tai took the nurses hand and guided her and the doctor to Ruby before heading out the door way.

Tai:Lock this door and call the authorities immediately!

Ruby:D...dad? W....where’s my baby?

He watched tears form in Ruby’s eyes. What could he say? What do you say? His hands clenched tightly before running off and joining the search. Time was everything. The nurse immediately closed the door and followed Tai’s instruction. Ruby reached for the bed rail to pull herself up but her arm went limp in a second. Making her fall back against the pillow. She tried again but the outcome was the same. Not even her legs would respond properly as she desperately tried to move before the nurse restrained her so she didn’t injure herself. Giving birth had taken to much energy. Ruby was a sitting duck.

Ruby:Let me go!!! I gotta find my son!

Nurse:You are in no condition to move! Right now you’re-

knock knock knock

Both of them shifted attention to the door. There wasn’t anymore knocking. Instead the door handle slowly grew brighter and brighter until it melted off completely. That was all Ruby needed to immediately feel terror and rage grip her soul. The nurse reached for phone but was immediately struck with glass right through her stomach through the newly made hole. She didn’t feel pain at first; just overwhelming heat ripping through her body as the door opened. Revealing Ruby’s fear complete with an old outfit she hadn’t seen since she was fifteen.

Cinder:Helpless. That’s what you were going to say right?

xxxx

Yang and Jaune raced down the hall in full force. She recklessly swung open every door to her right and knocked into people while Jaune did the same one the left. Nothing. With each failure they got faster and faster as they raced up the stairs to the higher floors. Yang grabbed her scroll to call Weiss and Blake who where going down.

Yang:Please tell me you found him!

Blake:Not yet!

Weiss:Damnit!!! There’s too many rooms and people!

Jaune:KEEP LOOKING! They couldn’t have-

Yang:THERE!

His eyes shifted to see the “Doctor” standing in the elevator holding the baby; his baby. The person locked eyes with the bonds as they struggled to reach the kidnapper before the doors closed. Unfortunately it was in vain. Halfway way there they watched the door closed on a sadistic smirk but that’s not all. Yang’s eyes went deep red watching the set of emerald eyes turn pink and brown. With one powerful step she lunged over all the people and pried the doors open to see the elevator car going up fast. If wasn’t for the baby she would’ve snapped the cable right then and there.

Yang:IT’S FUCKING NEO!!!

Blake:What!!!

Weiss:Does that mean Cinder is here?

Yang:She’s heading to the roof!

Tai:Damnit all! I’m heading back to Ruby!

Blake:You’ll need back up. I’ll head back too. Everyone else go to the roof.

Yang:Okay. Jaune let’s-

He was already moving towards the staircase. His aura washed over his body in a divine white and pushed his body beyond its normal limits. Increasing his speed dramatically. Yang followed his lead by jumping of the railing and propelling herself upwards like a rocket with her arm.

A few floors down, Weiss smashed a window and jumped out. She waved her left hand to form a glyph platform then made a line of them running along the entire building. She ran up towards the top while Blake stopped at the floor Tai was on and continued back to Ruby’s room. This was beyond bad; they were completely blindsided. Worst of all, it had been in a hospital. They were weaponless.

xxxx

Cinder:Surprised to see me little Rose? Well, I guess you’re not that little anymore now are you? You seemed to surprised to see me. I guess that makes since; it’s been a few years since our last encounter. Longer since you seen me in this.

Ruby:Cinder. I....I spared your life....

Cinder:Bet your regretting that decision now aren’t you?

The nurse tried to move until the blood in her veins lit up along with the shard in her. Bringing the woman to her knees and hacking like a feral animal. Ruby leaned forward before the weight of Cinder’s grimm arm pressed her back down. The nails slightly digging into her neck. Ruby’s eyes lit up dimly before fading and draining away what little energy she had.

Cinder:I wouldn’t try to move. It’ll only get worse.

Ruby:Leave her alone Cinder or-

Cinder:Or what? Silver eye blast? You can’t even sit up. Kids really are the death of us huh? It’s almost sad really.

Ruby:If you want me then fine. Just....cough let everyone else go.

Cinder:Pfft, typical. Always trying to play the hero. Always thinking your above others; stronger than them.

Ruby:You’re deranged.

Cinder:And you are pathetic. Brain dead even. Are all honest souls like this or just you? I wonder how that kid is the same? Or at least, would he have been? Given the chance to grow up.

Ruby couldn’t do anything but listen as Cinder laughed at her. Tears rolled down her face uncontrollably. Grabbing Cinder’s wrist weakly in desperation and despair.

Cinder:That’s what I wanted to see. How long has it been? Since you’ve felt so powerless.

Ruby:Please.......

Cinder:Hmm?

Ruby:If you want me dead then just do it already but please......leave him out of this. He has nothing to do with this!

Cinder:*grabs harder* He has everything to do with this. Listen closely, I’m not gonna kill you. That doesn’t settle what you did to me. After all you didn’t kill me. No, you killed my dreams; my perception this world. You made me realize I wasn’t as strong as I thought. Because of you and your friends my dreams of ruling under Salem and being on top are history. Now it’s your turn for dreams to die. I’m killing your happy ending and the best part is it’s all because you had to take the moral high ground. Reap what you sow right? Eye for an eye. Speaking of which, I guess I have a two brand new ones. You think his left or right eyes would look best on me.

Ruby:I’m going to kill you....

Cinder:Little late don’t you think? Maybe in your dreams.

Monstrous fingers squeezed tighter until Ruby’s vision went blurry. Seconds passed until she blacked out; never standing a chance. Cinder stared at her work. Even the sight of Ruby knocked out and still crying made her furious but she kept composure then left the room. She didn’t get one step in before Tai and Blake turned the corner to see her leaving the room. Both of them rushed her instinct but wasn’t expecting Cinder to yank the nurse out the room and throwing her towards them. The glass glew brighter than ever until bursting into flames and spreading it throughout the hall. The nurse screamed before turning into ash and distracting the pair. By the time they got through the flames, Cinder had vanished. Tai immediately ran into the room to check on Ruby.

Tai:She’s breathing but roughed up!

Blake:Guys we saw Cinder but she got away! Did you get Dustin!?

......

Blake:Yang!? Weiss!? Jaune!? Someone answer me!!

xxxx

They didn’t feel tired or scared or anything for that matter. The three of them just simply ran and ran and didn’t once stop. Never stumbling. Never losing sight of their goal. All at once they arrived at their destination. Weiss over the edege if the building, Yang through the door to the room, and was immediately followed by Jaune. The trio locking eyes on Neo and closing in around her with arms stretched out. Just to be met the sound and sight of shattering glass the moment they can in contact. Their surroundings crumbled like their resolve. It was only them on the roof; staring at a helicopter fly away into the dreadful sunset and out of their reach in silence. Yang’s mouth open in an attempt to scream but was stopped by Weiss grabbing the girls hand. The fiery rage died painfully the moment she turned towards her. Weiss’s other hand was clinging to Jaune’s as the man dropped to the ground shaking in uncontrollably. The aura around him dying down to a complete stop; revealing tears running down his face.

Only one person should be screaming but he didn’t. He just watched. Yang’s red eyes turned back to normal and bent down towards Jaune with Weiss. The two women put their arms around him and held tightly. Finally he broke the silence; Wailing and screaming at the world for doing this to him. To Ruby. All while Weiss and Yang sunk into the shared sorrow. Tears staining Jaune’s shirt, but they never screamed. Only one person should be screaming right now. The man who just lost his son.

Part 7