#i told y'all the updates would be quicker from now on

[imnotobsessedwfictionalchracters]

Chapter 11: Let The Games Begin

I do not own Harry Potter or any of the characters from it. If I did, Albus would not be named Albus.

Apologies for legit disappearing again. Last time I updated I was finishing my Junior year of High School and I just graduated about 2 weeks ago! So I finally have time (and inspiration) to get back to writing again!

If Anneliese ever seems like she just...randomly gets really aggressive, don't quesiton it. Girl is going through puberty and has a lot of things going on at home that I know about but y'all don't (at least not yet).

Also, just in case anyone noticed, I did go back and rename the previous chapters because I thought of better names okay? Okay! *thumbs up*

Anyways, this is also posted onto my Fanfction.net account SomeKind0fMagic and my Wattpad somekindofmagic1 so you can check it out on there too!

Love Z <3

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Albus screamed as his covers were torn off of him and there was a yelling in his ear. Grabbing his glasses while mumbling and annoyed, "What the hell?" He looked around his room, a breath leaving his lips as he saw the red hair of his sister and his "Lily? Annie?" He saw the red hair of his sister and the short black hair of his best friend. "What're you guys doing waking me up at," He looked at the clock and groaned, "4 AM?" He looked at them again, as the sleep fogged his brain, he grew even more puzzled as to why they were fully clothed. "And what're you guys doing dressed?"

He heard Lily gasp dramatically, "Because...today's the Quidditch World Cup!" Albus ran his hand over his face, slowly waking up still, "And Mum has to get there by 6 AM so she can start to interview the two teams!" He rolled over onto his stomach, about to pull a pillow over his head with one of them grabbing it from his hand. "Mum wants you up so we can eat together. Now hurry up! We still need to get James up!"

He grumbled about being up and everything as he heard Annie sigh, "Lily, go on and wake up James. I'll make sure Albus gets up."

He heard a humph before a slight annoyance filled voice of Lily spoke again. "Fine." As he heard her fading footsteps, he felt his eyes grow heavy again and began to feel the comfort of sleep wrap around his cold body.

But before he could be rewrapped in the comfort of sleep, he felt a hand on his ankle before feeling his entire body being yanked down the bed. He screamed and turned around, finding Annie really was still there, staring at him. "Come on Albus. Told your mum I'd get you up so," She grabbed his arms and tried to pull him up. "I'm doing it." She walked over to his closet and looked inside, trying to find clothes for him to put on. "Besides, if you don't then I'm pretty sure that James will eat all the food."

He glared at her as he slowly walked over to her and grabbed a shirt hanging. "You're cold."

She shrugged and looked at him, "I have 6 older brothers, I've learned how to get you idiots up." She crossed her arms, "So are you gonna get ready now?" He grumbled as he pulled the shirt he had on, off. Just as he pulled the clean one on, he heard her continue. "And besides, I could've gotten ice cold water to pour on you." Barely, he saw her smirk, "And I still could."

His eyes widened as he began to move much quicker. "Alright. Alright. Just gimme a minute." She nodded as he looked around and grabbed a pair of pants. He was about to pull his pajama pants off when he remembered that Annie was there. He turned to her, "Can you like...turn around?" He watched as she rolled her eyes but did what he asked. Mumbling something about it not being like she'll actually see anything.

As he slipped his pajamas off and the pants on, he watched her walk out of the closet and back into his bedroom. He let out a sigh as he made his way back into his bedroom, running a hand through his hair, attempting to smooth it. But almost as soon as he stepped out, his brush hit him square in the chest, he gave Anne a look as she just laid back onto his bed.

"Ow?"

He heard her scoff, "Please, that didn't hurt."

"It could've."

"But it didn't." She pushed herself up on her elbows and he started to try and brush out his hair. "Trust me, if my sister Elina, who is almost 6 can handle it, you, a whole 12 year old, can."

He snorted, "Whatever." He tossed his brush back onto his bed, "Let's go."

She looked at him as if he was crazy, "No. You cannot possibly think that your hair is good."

He touched his hair and looked at it through the old mirror on his wall before looking back to her, "What?"

She grabbed the brush from off his bed and pulled him back over to his bed. Sitting behind him, she began to brush through. "I would be sorry for this ending up hurting, but the fact is, this is your own creation." He mumbled something about it being okay as she ran the brush through his hair. Neither of them even noticed his mum leaning against the door. "Seriously Al, do you ever brush your hair? It's like a bird's nest here."

"I think it's genetics." He mumbled, "My mom always has complained about all of our hair. Saying that it's from our dad."

She snorted as she finished up brushing through, running her hands through his hair as she went through, a finishing part in order to get it flatter. She sighed heavily as she tossed the brush over to the other side of the bed. "I think that's the best I can get, Al. Your hair is going to be my enemy as long as we're friends."

"Should I be sorry or should I just accept fate?"

"Accept your fate and you shall die peacefully."

"That is definitely smoother than I ever have gotten it."

The two kids started laughing but both let out a small scream and jumped, both nearly falling off of his bed, as they heard his mum speak. Their laughs transferred to her as they jumped, her hands coming up with her palms out in a surrender form. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean to scare you kids, I honestly had assumed you saw me." She sighed and pushed herself off of the wall, "If either of you want to eat before we head out, I would recommend going now. We need to leave in 10 minutes. Your dad and Uncle Ron just left plus Lily and James are currently eating so you have about 5 to get down there and get food."

As his mother said those last words, Albus practically jumped off his bed before running downstairs. Annie followed after him, shaking her head in amusement as his mother looked at them with fondness.

--------

Music and noises of all kinds surrounded everyone as they walked towards the site of the game. Just down the hill from the Portkey, the muddy old boot that they had been using since before Albus or even James had been born.

As they neared the tents and the people, Albus and Anne held onto Lily's hands tightly. Ginny had asked them to keep an eye on Lily, just in case there were any other reporters that would take photos of them, despite continuous wishes from Harry asking them to not take photos of his kids. The two of them knew that if they saw any camera pointed at them, they would start running (or smush her head into one of their chests).

But thankfully, that didn't have to happen. No one paid them any attention. All preoccupied with making sure that they were at their tent and everything was set up for them. Eyes more glued on the families of the players anyways. That was mostly who was there. Reporters, players and their families, plus a few Aurors and Hit Wizards. Those who chose to work the pregame instead of the main part so that they could enjoy the game with their families and friends.

Before they entered, Ginny looked at them all, "Alright, I should be back in an hour or two." She looked at all of them, well...mostly her kids and Anne. "Behave. Hermione is here if anything goes wrong, which nothing better happen. Understand?"

They all nodded, muttering agreements to be good. Anne even felt a small hint of joy that Ginny was being that way with her too. She was used to it from the parents of her other friends, but they had known her since she was born, Ginny hadn't. So the fact that she was treating her as she treated her own kids left her with a small sense of joy, something even Albus could see.

As she walked away, the four kids walked into the tent. James quickly made his way over to Rose and Hugo while the other three walked over to sit by Hermione. They watched in amusement as the other three began to place bets on who would win. But Albus felt a small tinge of guilt and envy as he watched them.

Guilt because Lily should be with them. She should be sitting with him and his friend. She shouldn't already be outcasting herself from their family just because they outcast him for his house. He felt as if she shouldn't be doing that. That she should be betting with them. He had seen the way that her and Hugo hadn't been as close as they always had been. Guilt ate at him, terrified that it was because of him. He knew that even at age 10, Hugo wanted nothing more than to have the acceptance of his dad. Something Albus was growing to understand.

A growing wish to be able to not disappoint his parents. But feeling like he wouldn't be able to just because of what house he was in. Something he hoped that Lily wouldn't have to feel.

And he was envious of them. Envious that they were laughing and playing with each other. He could only think about how that was him and Rose just a year ago. Laughing. Playing. Being friends. He didn't...couldn't understand why they now hated him because he was in Slytherin. Their parents, especially his and James', had raised them without that prejudice. Raised them to understand that house doesn't define a person, their actions do.

Him being friends with Scorpius Malfoy shouldn't have cost him his brother as well as his favorite cousin and best friend.

Deep down, he knew that he shouldn't be 12 years old and feeling all of these feelings. But he did and he couldn't control it. All he could do was hide it and pretend that he was okay. Because he was. Or at least he will be.

"--Yeah? Well at least Albus and Rose only have to wait 2 months before he can try out for the team! I have to wait another whole two years! It's totally unfair!"

Albus blinked his eyes a few times, trying to focus back into the moment. Not even having realized he had zoned out. "You're trying out Al?"

He shrugged, mind catching up and realizing that they were talking about Quidditch and tryouts for the house teams. "Yeah, I decided why not. I mean, there's no guarantee I'll make it. Slytherin isn't known for accepting second years plus don't we still have a Seeker?"

"Yeah? And? No one likes Dom on the team. He was just the only person that came close to being good. We've barely won a single game since he joined. Plus you have like...this whole legacy around you. Both of your parents, your dads dad, the majority of your mum's brothers! I mean seriously, if you don't make the team, Matt is literally crazy."

He rolled his eyes, "Sure. whatever." He laid his head in his hand, "So...when are you supposed to meet up with your family?"

"Probably whenever you guys head to your seats. I'll stop by and see if they're still at our tent, if they are, then I'll stay with them. If they aren't then I'll head over to our box." She snorted slightly, "We're sharing with the Malfoy's this year. Scor and I have a bet going on how long it's gonna take for Astoria to try and smack my dad."

He laughed, holding his hand over his mouth as an attempt to silence them but he couldn't. All he knew of how Scorpius's mum was with Annie's dad came from what they had told him. To his knowledge; Mrs. Malfoy hated Annie's dad. Said he was too controlling for her liking and apparently and almost threw a punch over something he had supposedly said.

Eventually, the laughter died down and Hermione spoke, "I honestly hope that the Welsh beat the States. That team isn't really good at anything, but the fact that they always choke out at the most important games."

"Sounds like the Slytherin team. We can do good until it matters. The few times we are in the running for first or second, we, well really Dom, chokes up and lose terribly and somehow end up in last place or barely making it to third. It's bloody ridiculous."

"Well that's stupid." Lily muttered and Annie nodded, laying her head on the table in front of her.

"But it's sadly true, do they still expect ya'll to play dirty?" Hermione asked softly.

Albus shrugged, "I have no clue."

But Anne nodded, "Yeah, they do." Albus glanced over at James as Annie spoke. He saw the glare in his brother's eyes. "It's ridiculously stupid, they know we won't. We can't risk it. And yet some teams try and provoke us." She crossed her arms, "I don't even care for Quidditch much but even I find that absurd.

A small layer of silence grew in the tent, not before James jumped up and declared something. Albus honestly didn't catch it as he watched the entrance to the tent. He knew Lily got up and went with James, but his attention was focused on the flaps that kept the tent closed. He wondered how the magic worked. How that if his parents hadn't given permission for a specific person to enter, they wouldn't be able to. That they would be shot back and away from the tent. He wondered how it worked. Did it work if the person was under the influence of polyjuice? Was the magic powerful enough to catch that or not?

He wondered if he hadn't asked them to, if they would have given Annie permission to enter. If they had given Scorpius. He wondered if his parents even liked his friends, he was so sure that they liked Annie, afterall, they were allowing him to stay the night and go to her brother's wedding that next week. There would be no way that they would let him do that if they didn't like her, right?

But maybe they just pretended to like her for his sake. She was one of his only friends now. Perhaps they only liked her because of that. Because at least that was someone who liked him, despite who his family was and the fact that he was becoming someone that he swore he wouldn't.

Despite the fact that he was growing and changing and slowly realizing just how different he was from the rest of his family.

--------

Albus had been at the pitch for nearly 18 hours by the time he was barely in his seat, watching as the two seekers shot down in order to catch the ever illusive snitch. He saw the way that they were neck and neck, hands outstretched, trying to grab the small golden ball. He saw the bludger making it's way to the seekers, holding his breath as the seeker for the United States pulled up and the bludger hit the Welsh seeker.

Near silence surrounded him as it felt as though everyone there were silently holding their breath. Waiting to see if the Welsh seeker caught the snitch. And that exact moment that they all saw him hold the snitch in his non-injured hand, cheers and screams erupted from the crowd. Albus looked at Teddy, who he was sitting by before the older boy engulfed him in a hug.

A pure feeling of glee and joy filled him up. A feeling that he rarely felt nowadays. He wasn't sure if he felt it from his team winning the game or the hug from his pseudo brother. But he knew that he felt it and that he needed to feel it. And he also knew that the tears that gently fell from his eyes weren't from joy, but sadness. A sadness that he was so sure would never leave him now.

--------

It was only 10:30 when they were finally out and back at the tent. Since they were celebrating a win, no one had to start to wind down until 12:30 so there was still another 2 hours before all of the kids had to get ready to get some sleep. But Albus was starting to realize just how hard it might be to stay up as he was still catching his breath from celebrating with Vic and Teddy and Lily, his eyes growing slightly heavy as they sat in a circle and played the muggle game Go Fish. Their Aunt Hermione had brought a few packs of muggle playing cards for them in case they were wanted.

His back was against one of the couches, zoning in and out of everything going on that he barely caught Teddy's question. "How was your first year Albus?"

He shrugged, trying to think of what to say quickly. "It was alright. I mean...it was weird not being home everyday and all that. But it was fun for the most part. I made friends easily." He tried to keep out the sleepless nights following the first several weeks. The fights and slowly growing self-hatred inside of him. Hide the fact that he rarely found solace in much outside of those in his house anymore.

Teddy nodded, "That's good. I won't lie, I was shocked when Vic sent the letter informing that you had been put into Slytherin. Afterall, no one in the family really has, unless you count my grandmother but she isn't really your family and all." Teddy laughed to himself before he continued, "But once the initial shock settled, I began to question why I, and anyone else for that matter, were surprised. Slytherin house has so many good traits that you embody that I honestly couldn't imagine you anywhere else."

He looked at him inquisitively, still playing the game. "Like what?"

"For starters, you're very cunning and resourceful. You see a problem and face it headfirst, most of the time at least. You know your way around tricky situations and you take on the leadership role whenever you have to. You set goals for yourself and you make them. Or at least you did when you were younger. Plus, you tend to weigh the pros and cons before you do something. However, that one is rarer."

"Huh." He faded for a moment, as if he was trying to understand what Teddy had just said. It made sense for him to be in Slytherin? But why? Everyone acts like it was a mistake and that he was nothing like the other Slytherin's before he had joined that house. Why was Teddy sitting acrooss from him and saying that he couldn't imagine him anywhere else?

Quickly, he cleared his voice, realizing they were waiting for him to continue his thought. "I never realized I did that."

Vic and Teddy laughed and he felt a minor tinge of embarrassment. Should he have realized that already? That everyone fits into their house, regardless if they realize it when they were sorted? Should he have noticed that by the time he had finished his first year?

"Don't panic if you didn't realize that." Vic assured, "Truly, you don't realize how much you are like your house until someone points it out." She gave him a soft and gentle smile. Something he saw her give all the younger students whenever they came to her throughout the year. "I didn't realize how many Hufflepuff traits I had for myself, besides the stereotypical niceness. For my first two or three years, I had just thought that that was all I had, because everyone said that was my best trait, and just put me in Hufflepuff. Which is ironic as I was called shallow for years but yet also nice? Never quite understood that." She drew a card since Lily didn't have the card she wanted. "But, as I went on, more people began to point out how I am apparently extremely patient with everyone and everything. I, like Slytherins and other Hufflpuffs, am very dedicated to different things that I believe in. For example, I am bloody dedicated to our family and my schooling." She smiled and pulled her hair to the side, "And I'm also dedicated to becoming a Healer since I got confirmation that I made it in to start training."

"So...will I start to fit into more Slytherin traits as I finish school?"

His fear began to raise as he thought of that. Thought of the new ways that Rose and James would start to hate him because of that. Because he was more and more Slytherin and less and less Gryffindor. Would James hate him for joining the Slytherin Quidditch team after years of them planning on playing together, James as the Chaser and Albus as the Seeker. Being the best thing to ever happen to Gryffindor's Quidditch team since their dad.

Would the disappointment grow worse as he got older?

--------

The world was nearly silent around him as Albus laid in his bunk. All that he could hear was the occasional drunk voice of someone outside and someone inside the tent snoring. He knew that all he had to do was get up and wake Teddy up and ask to talk, but that thought scared him. What if Teddy didn't actually care and was just telling him that out of courtesy?

He turned and stared at the crimson fabric that was the wall of the tent. He wondered if Teddy was right? Did he already have a bunch of Slytherin traits? Traits that he didn't have before? Or at least that he hadn't noticed? Were these...things that made him, him. That made him Slytherin. Were these things more obvious now that he was a Slytherin? Was he really so cunning and resourceful? He didn't feel resourceful. Always having to ask Annie for help on work. Would, or more of does, he really try to make his goal, even through deception and lies? He couldn't remember ever making a goal for himself and succeeding. He wondered that when he got older, would he be so Slytherin and make his end goal through ways of anger and deceit? Would he lie in order to get what he wants?

And did he really become the leader whenever he had to? He tried to think back on a time that he did, but he couldn't remember a single time. He never was a leader, more of a follower. He had always followed James and Rose around. Always done what they did. He guessed that maybe he was the leader of his small friend group, but he would honestly rather put that to Annie than himself. She was much better at keeping everyone in line and making sure everyone did what they were supposed to.

She was the perfect example of a good and nice Slytherin. Not Albus. Albus was none of those things. He was a liar and a traitor who betrayed his family because he didn't tell the hat not Slytherin like his father had done all those years ago.

He held back a groan as he put a pillow over his ears, trying to drown them out as the seven words echoed in his head.

Cunning. Resourceful. Leadership. Goal. Achieve. Pros. Cons.

But they wouldn't go away. Those words were bouncing around in his head. Teddy's nice way of saying them turned to James' sneers. The sneers and words he had heard others say about him since he started at Hogwarts. The words got so loud that he began to think about what James had said before Annie had come over. What he had said about her coming over.

----

James clenched his fists, "You're such a bloody disgrace to the family! Mum and dad fight because of your bloody house and it's causing a divide throughout the entire family! Thanks to you influencing Lily to be so Slytherin and evil like you, she's fighting with Hugo more! Petty arguments turn into full scale fights, all because of your stupid influence on her! You're nothing but a coward who hides behind older students! You'll never get anywhere with that. One day, Green's siblings will be gone and there won't be anyone to protect you at Hogwarts anymore."

----

He held his pillow tightly and whispered to not cry. He didn't want to cry over something so stupid. Over something that if James found out, he would make fun of him for. He didn't want to cry. If he cried then he would prove James right. He would prove that it was nothing. That he would never be anything more than a coward because someone who wasn't wouldn't let someone say that to him.

But Albus did and he always would. All because he didn't want people to hate him more. All because he thought that maybe, just maybe, if he didn't fight back against James, then he wouldn't hate him anymore. That was all he had to do. Remain the same kid he was and then James will still like him

[myndopeus]

you give me something to think about (chapter 6)

Read on ao3

Summary: Trini’s never been good at making friends, which only makes being stuck in the same school for seven years even more miserable. But when she finally does meet someone nice, she ends up with a whole lot more than she bargained for.

It’s gonna be one hell of a year.

The Slowburn Hogwarts AU that no one asked for.

Quidditch practice had ended up being a bit of a disaster, to put it mildly. Trini wanted to blame it on the fact that it was a morning session, but everyone had seemed to be doing decently except her. She’d missed the bludger several times that day, and had almost knocked out the player she was supposed to be covering. It was downright embarrassing. At the end of practice, she left so quickly that she might as well have disapparated.

She sighs, knocking her head against the tiles of the shower wall. Dimly, she realizes that she’s been zoned out for a while. As she’s getting dressed, her stomach grumbles loudly; the morning quidditch practice had made her much hungrier than usual. She’s almost out the door when she realizes that she doesn’t have a tie.

“What the fuck,” she grumbles as she rummages through her things. “I wear the same damn tie every day, how the fuck can I lose it…”

A voice calls from the doorway. “You good?” Trini turns to see Jen watching her.

She shrugs. “Yeah, just can’t find a damn tie.”

Jen nods, before walking over to her bed. She opens a drawer and tosses a tie to Trini. “Here. You can borrow one of mine. Now come on, you’d better not miss breakfast, or as Quidditch Captain I will officially kick your ass.” She strides out, leaving Trini to follow while messily doing up her tie.

Ernie is waiting for them in the common room, their hair still wet and tumbling down his shoulders. Trini does a double take when she sees them, temporarily dazzled by their shining locks.

“Finally,” they laugh. “If there’s no more scrambled eggs when we get there, I’m blaming you.”

Jen rolls her eyes. “This is Hogwarts, you dolt. They never run out of food.” She flicks them on the back of the head.

They head to the Great Hall, Jen and Ernie conversing while Trini walks a bit off to the side. She’s lost in her thoughts when suddenly she realizes that the others have moved to flank her, one on each side. They’re both quite a bit taller than her, and she thinks that from an outside view, it looks as though they’re about to steal her lunch money.

“You’ve been awfully quiet, Tiny.” Trini sighs at the nickname that Jen insists on calling her.

Ernie smiles at her warmly. “Yeah, we’re a team! No third wheeling allowed.”

“Well, maybe I’d be more talkative if someone hadn’t decided to hold a morning practice,” she replies, raising an eyebrow at Jen.

“See, I told you it wasn’t just me!”

“Oh shove off, E. Weaklings, the both of you.” Jen walks ahead, and Trini and Ernie share a conspiratory giggle.

The Hufflepuff table is decently populated, but most of the other quidditch players have left, so the three of them sit together. There’s a mildly awkward silence as they eat, with Ernie consuming more protein than Trini thought a human being was capable of.

Swallowing down a mouthful of cereal, Trini opens her mouth to say something, but decides against it. Unfortunately, Ernie, perceptive as always, noticed.

“What’s up?” they ask.

“It’s nothing,” Trini says, but Jen simply raises an eyebrow at her. She sighs. “I was just… I was wondering, why’d you pick me to be a beater? I mean, I’m not exactly the greatest at it, and—”

“Stop.” Jen sets down her cutlery and looks at her, a serious expression on her face. “One of my big rules is that there will be no self-depreciation on my team. If you’re not good at something then you don’t just talk about it, you work to get better. Secondly,” she adds, raising a finger when Trini tries to speak. “I picked you as a beater because I think you’re a valuable addition to the team. Do you think you’re in a position to be questioning your captain’s decisions?”

Trini shakes her head. “No, but—what I mean is, if you wanted me on the team, why put me as a beater? Why not seeker, or something?”

Jen doesn’t respond at first, simply reaching for her coffee and taking a leisurely sip. The mood is broken when Ernie mutters “drama queen” just loud enough for Trini to hear. Jen glares at him, but Trini is secretly grateful, as it makes her feel much less nervous.

“Why didn’t I make you seeker? I’m going to be honest: it would have been a waste. Not because you’re a bad fit for the position. It’s actually the other way around.”

“What do you mean?”

“At the tryouts, you certainly displayed agility, control, and a good awareness of the field and other players. But you also showed creativity, initiative, and drive. The seeker position is wrong for you because the seeker doesn’t come into play until late in the game. You’re someone that I’d rather have actively participating and helping control the flow of the match, not standing on the sidelines.” She sips her coffee again. “That a good enough explanation for you?”

Trini is stunned. From the sound of it, Jen had just complimented her, and she wasn’t entirely sure that this whole thing wasn’t a dream. “Uh… yeah. Yeah, that makes sense. Um, thank you?”

“Basically, if I’d put you as seeker, you probably would’ve gotten bored and quit, and that would be a waste. So I expect you to stick around now, you hear?” she goes back to eating her pancakes, not waiting for Trini to respond.

Ernie shakes their head. “Wow, that was incredibly eloquent and well thought-out, cap’. You sure you didn’t get someone to write it for you beforehand?”

“Ernest DiMarco, I swear to God…”

The two continue to bicker, and Trini just laughs at their antics. As strange of a pair as they may be, Trini has become quite fond of Ernie and Jen. Jen tries to lunge at Ernie, and Trini practically dives across the table to stop her from knocking over a pitcher of pumpkin juice. After finishing breakfast, they all clear up and head their separate ways.

 * * *

The day’s classes are a train wreck; Trini is so tired from morning practice that she can barely keep her eyes open, let alone pay attention to anything during History of Magic. She slogs her way through the day and finds herself heading to the library on autopilot.

“…-ini. Trini! OI, CRAZY GIRL!”

She finally registers the voice calling her name, as well as the bewildered stares from the other students in the hallway. She turns around, and is confused to see Zack jogging up to her, with Jason, Billy, and Kimberly in the background.

“Hey, you going deaf or something?” Zack jokes, before coming closer and seeing the bleary look in her eyes. “Oh damn, you ok?”

She rubs at her eyes with one hand. “Yeah, sorry, just tired from morning practice.”

Zack makes a sympathetic noise. “We’ve all been there.”

“Why are you guys heading in the opposite direction of the library?”

“Oh, the others wanted to go outside.” She looks past him to see Billy and Jason waving at her.

“It’s nice and sunny out!” Billy calls.

“You don’t have to come with,” Zack adds, to her surprise. “Not that we don’t want you there, but like, you look like a zombie.”

She shrugs. “Eh, I’ll go. I can always take a nap out there.”

They walk back to join the rest of the group. Trini must be very visibly tired, because no one really tries to force her to talk. She’s content to just follow their rhythm and listen to Billy explain the day’s Potions class to Zack.

The sun is shining, but not blindingly so, and there are enough clouds that it’s still quite cool out. They find a nice, shady patch of grass, and Trini promptly drops her bag and flops down, curling on her side.

“Zack, if you draw anything on me, I’ll murder you,” she mumbles sleepily, and she hears a chuckle from the group.

“I’ll make sure he doesn’t do anything crazy,” she hears Jason say, and she mumbles something in response, too tired to form any more words. She hears Billy and Kimberly’s voices start to say something, but she’s already drifting off.

She wakes up some time later, the sun shining on her face. Grumbling, she rolls over, shading her eyes. There’s something soft under her head, and she opens her eyes the tiniest bit to see that someone had placed their robe under her head as a pillow.

“Good afternoon, Trini! Well, late-afternoon, really.” Billy is facing her, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up. Trini sits up, stretching out her neck.

“Heya,” she says, reaching behind her for the robe. “I’m assuming this is yours?” Billy nods, and she hands it over. “Thanks.”

“How long was I out?” she yawns, stretching her arms out.

“Two years.” She rolls her eyes and flips the finger in the direction of Zack’s voice

“No, it was only approximately 26 minutes, which, coincidentally, is the optimal length of a power nap,” Billy explains.

The sun is obscured by the clouds by now, and Trini takes a proper look around her surroundings. They’ve arranged themselves in a sort of circle on the grass. Jason is sitting next to Billy, and Kim’s head is in his lap (Trini has to stop herself from rolling her eyes at the display). Zack, true to his nature, seems to be taking up as much space as possible while still fitting into the circle. There’s a pile of shredded grass sitting next to him

“About time too,” he quips, plucking some more grass from the ground. “We were just about to talk about Hogsmeade this weekend.”

Billy frowns. “Um, Zack? Could you please stop that? It’s just, you’re gonna damage the grass and create an uneven patch on the grounds.”

“I got you, my bad, B.” Zack sits up, dusting dirt and blades of grass off of his hands. “Anyhow, we’re all going out, right? Right?” He looks around expectantly.

Jason shrugs. “Yeah, I’m game.” Billy nods, brushing his hands over the grass experimentally, before shuddering slightly and placing them back in his lap.

Trini is hesitant. “I mean, I guess…”

“Oh, don’t be like that, T.” Zack reaches over and grabs at her ankle. “It’ll be fun! Besides, you don’t want to miss the first quidditch get-together.”

“Get off.” She shakes loose of his grip, and he sticks his tongue out at her. “And what do you mean ‘quidditch get-together’?”

“It’s an informal thing,” Jason explains. “The quidditch teams all like to hang out at the Three Broomsticks on Hogsmeade nights. It’s just a fun thing we do, it’s sort of like neutral territory. Did no one on the Hufflepuff team mention it?”

Trini shrugs, looking away awkwardly. “I don’t know. Maybe. I was probably too tired to listen.”

“Anyhow,” Zack continues, “It’s awesome, and totally worth it, and it’ll be your first time! C’mon, I’ll buy your first round.” He gives her the most exaggerated puppy-dog eyes, and she sighs.

“Fine. But only for one round.”

“That’s what you say now, but three rounds later…” Zack wiggles his eyebrows, and everyone in the circle groans.

“Keep it in your pants, Taylor,” Kimberly says, and Trini feels a weird sense of discomfort wash over her.

“So, what time will we meet?” Billy chimes in. “10?” There’s a chorus of agreement that’s broken by Zack’s dramatic gasp.

“10?! In the AM?! If you think I’m getting out of bed that early, on a Saturday, you must be out of your mind.”

Billy blinks. “10 AM is… early for you?”

“I want to sleep in,” Zack complains. “Can’t we meet later?”

“Hm…” Kimberly looks up in mock thought before smirking at him. “Nah. Either meet at 10, or you’re on your own.”

“But I don’t want to go alone,” Zack whines, flopping onto his back petulantly. Trini sighs in exasperation at his childish antics, before relenting.

“I’ll go with him.” The eyes of the circle turn to her curiously, and she gives them a confused look. “What? I wanna sleep in too.”

“See? Crazy Girl gets me.” Zack grins at her upside-down, and she gives him a half-smile in return.

Trini stands, brushing off the grass clinging to her robes. “Well, if we’re gonna be out all Saturday, I should probably get a head start on my work.”

“Booooring,” Zack teases. Jason just shakes his head.

“See you later,” Kimberly says, and Trini is a little surprised at the unexpected farewell. She waves goodbye to the group before heading back to the Hufflepuff common room to start her work. After taking another well-deserved nap, of course.

* * *

Trini wakes up Saturday morning feeling much more refreshed, thanks to the extra sleep. She’s stretching her arms out when a thud startles her. She jolts upright, hand flailing slightly for her wand.

“Oh look, Sleeping Tiny is awake.” Across the room, Jen gives her a skeptical stare. She’s wearing a shirt, but no trousers, and Trini stares blankly before the rest of her brain catches up.

“Oh! Jen.” She quickly looks away on the pretense of finding her wand. “What are you doing here? Thought everyone would have left by now.”

“Eh. Got a morning detention. Just my luck, on Hogsmeade day, too.” Jen steps into a skirt while Trini gets out of bed. “You heading out?”

“Yeah, I’m meeting some people.”

“Well, you should come to the Three Broomsticks later tonight. The team likes to hang out there, it’s good bonding. Give it some thought.” Jen flips her hair over her shoulder. “See you later, T,” she says as she walks out the door.

Trini takes a quick shower before getting dressed, throwing on some jeans, a t-shirt, and a jacket. She’s looking for her beanie before she remembers that it was lost in the lake during that fateful detention. With a dejected sigh, she grabs her things and heads down the stairs.

Ernie is seated on the couch, a book on their lap, and their hair drawn into a messy bun. “Good morning, Trini!” they greet her.

“Morning, Ernie. Not in the mood for Hogsmeade?”

They laugh sheepishly. “Ah, I’m a bit behind on my readings. Plus, I’ve got some other business, if you know what I mean.” They tap the side of their nose and wink.

“Uh… not really, but I don’t think I want to know.”

“Fair enough. I’ll probably be at Sticks tonight though, if you’re going.”

“Yeah, I plan on being there.”

“Great! Try not to have too much fun before I get there. Be safe!”

They wave her off and Trini heads to the gates, still a little bemused by their conversation.

As she expected, Zack isn’t there when she reaches the gates. Hagrid is standing there as she approaches.

“’Ello, Miss Gomez!” He rumbles in a big, friendly voice, and she smiles. “You headin’ off to Hogsmeade, eh?”

“I will be, once my friend gets here.” She leans against the gates, the cold metal pressing through her jacket. A breeze flows by, ruffling her hair, and she shivers.

“Still haven’t gotten yer hat back, I see,” Hagrid notes, and she runs a hand through her hair self-consciously.

“Yeah, it’s alright though. I can get another one.”

“You’ll be needin’ it, with this cold weather comin’ up.”

They wait in comfortable silence for a while before Trini spots a dark figure racing down the path. Zack sprints down, practically slipping on the cold ground, before coming to a halt.

“Overslept,” he pants, and Trini laughs a little at him. He’s sporting a very fashionable bedhead, and he’s clad in a white shirt and black jeans, with a leather jacket to boot.

“You’re lucky I didn’t leave without you.” They say goodbye to Hagrid before heading down to Hogsmeade, Zack still trying to catch his breath.

The square is bustling with students of all ages when they get there. There are snowballs flying left and right, and one of them hits a window, causing a wizened old man to shove it open and begin yelling indecipherable words while shaking his fist. Bright displays shine through the shop windows, and light noises echo down the high street. It’s a welcome change from the mildly stuff insides of the castle, and it feels more domestic than any town that Trini’s family has lived in. It’s certainly a bit loud and raucous, but there’s a homely air to the whole village that makes up for it.

“So, where to first?” Trini asks, right as Zack’s stomach grumbles. They both laugh.

“Well, I forgot to eat breakfast, so food first.”

They head down the high street, and Trini has to practically drag Zack away from Honeydukes (“You are not having candy for breakfast, we’ll come back later.”). They stop at Madam Puddifoot’s for tea, and Zack compromises by ordering a slice of chocolate and almond cake.

“So, do you not normally come out during Hogsmeade days?” Zack asks her through a mouthful of cake.

“Sometimes. I’m not exactly the biggest fan of crowds. Besides, I’m almost 18, so technically I’m allowed to come here whenever I want. I don’t see why I should wait until the whole school is out.”

“Um, because it’s more exciting?” Zack gestures to all the people sitting in the shop, and she kicks him in the shin to stop drawing attention to them. “Ow. C’mon though, you can’t deny that it’s more interesting with more people.”

“I guess,” she admits. “But when you’re spending the day alone either way, it doesn’t make much of a difference.” She notices Zack stops chewing at that, and she quickly busies herself with taking a bite of her scone.

To her relief, Zack doesn’t address her remark. After finishing their tea, Zack adamantly insists that they visit Honeydukes and Zonko’s, in that order. He convinces her to sample several of the newer sweets to see her reaction (she punches him after trying the Shock-o-Choco). They also bond over watching the other students trying the allegedly “spicy” Pepper Imps.

“Oh man,” Zack laughs as they watch one kid run around with fire spewing from his mouth. “I can’t believe people actually think those things are hot.”

“I know, right? But to be fair, I’m Mexican, so it’s like, kiddy levels of spice to me.” Trini pops one in her mouth, smoothly blowing out the flames.

“Nice,” Zack nods, opening a chocolate frog. “And this is nothing compared to Szechuan food. Now that stuff is spicy.”

“Truth.”

They’re heading down to Zonko’s when Zack stops them.

“Oh, hang on a second, I just gotta get something real quick. I’ll be out in like, two seconds.” He dashes into the local potions shop, and she watches him curiously. She feels awkward standing in the middle of the street, so she decides to open a cauldron cake. She’s removing the wrapper when she spots Kimberly Hart coming down the sidewalk towards her.

Oddly enough, Kimberly has a somewhat morose expression on her face. She doesn’t seem to be paying much attention to her surroundings. Trini is tempted to just let her be, but she notices another student bump into her roughly. They say something over their shoulder as they leave, and Trini can’t make out what it was, but she does notice the way Kimberly’s shoulders tense when she hears it.

“Hey,” she says, but the other girl doesn’t seem to hear her. She fidgets slightly before trying again. “Kimberly.”

This time, she definitely hears her, and Kimberly looks around in confusion before her eyes find Trini. She seems genuinely surprised, but she walks over.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

There’s an awkward silence, during which Trini is silently kicking the shit out of herself in her head. She remembers the pastry in her hands, and she holds it out between them.

“Want to split it with me?” she asks abruptly.

Kimberly eyes her warily. “Um. Sure,” she says. Trini hands her half of the cake, not meeting her eyes.

“I thought you’d be with the boys,” Trini says.

“We split up, said we’d meet later at the Three Broomsticks. What about you? I thought you’d be with Zack.”

“Yeah, he’s in there.” She gestures to the shop. “We just got out of Honeydukes. Had a lot of fun watching all the white people trying Pepper Imps.”

Kimberly laughs a little through a mouthful of cake, lifting her hand to block a spray of crumbs. “Sorry. But yeah, that is pretty funny. I mean, I love Hogwarts, but it makes me miss the spices from home.”

“Tell me about it. Just don’t let the house elves hear you say that. I accidentally let it slip once, and there was so much crying.”

“Yikes. I get where they’re coming from, though. I mean, if someone came into my house and insulted my cooking, I’d probably feel a little offended too.”

“Hey, I’ve already processed the guilt, don’t make me relive it again.”

Kimberly just smirks at her, taking another bite of the pastry. The silence falls again, and just like that, the mood is broken and they’re back to awkwardness. Trini is wondering what just happened when Zack saunters out of the potions shop.

“You miss me, Crazy Girl?” He sees Kim, and his grin somehow gets wider. “Heeeey Kimmy!”

She rolls her eyes. “Hello to you too, Zack.” She dusts the crumbs off of her hands. “Well, I’ll leave you two to it. See you at the Three Broomsticks?”

“Yeah, we’ll see you there.” Trini watches Kimberly walk away. She had originally assumed that Kimberly was going to be like any other popular girl, but evidently there is something else there. It’s just hard to figure out, especially since Kimberly is so cryptic and unpredictable.

“What’re you lookin' at, hm?” Zack nudges her, and she throws a light elbow to his stomach in response.

“Just wondering what she’s doing out here all alone. Like, why isn’t she with the boys? Or other people?”

“Sometimes people just need some time to themselves. You get it, right?”

Trini hums in response. “Well, are we going to Zonko’s, or what?”

“Oh, we are most definitely going to Zonko’s. Gotta pick up some ammo for tonight.”

Trini’s eyes widen. “Tonight? Ok, you really have to give me the rundown on what’s gonna happen, because if this turns out to be some elaborate hazing ritual or some shit, I’m breaking into Gryffindor Tower and smothering you and Jason in your sleep.”

Zack spins to face her, walking backwards down the street. “Relax, T. We’re not pulling your leg, it really is a pretty chill thing. It’s just that sometimes we like to spice it up. Nothing too serious, of course, otherwise Madam Rosmerta would kick the living shit out of all of us.” Trini is still skeptical.

Their choice of purchases is highly limited by the rules of the Three Broomsticks establishment, but they manage to select a good variety of prank sweets to slip to their teammates. Trini even decides to splurge on a Boxing Telescope, with the express intent of one day using it on Zack.

As it grows dark outside, they decide to head over to the Three Broomsticks. Despite Zack’s many reassurances, Trini is still quite nervous. Her anxiety only increases as they draw near, the noise from the Inn reaching them from quite a ways down the street.

“Trust me, it’ll be fine,” Zack says as he opens the door for her. Taking a deep breath, Trini steps inside.

She’s immediately hit with a wave of heat and sound. The inside is considerably spacious, but all of the Hogwarts quidditch players are quickly filling the establishment. Some of them have clearly gotten a head start on the celebrations, their cheeks rosy and their laughter echoing. The atmosphere is just shy of chaotic, and Trini feels intimidated.

“Over there,” Zack half yells into her ear, and she looks to where he’s pointing to see Jason and Billy sitting at a table with a group of other students, mostly Gryffindors. The boys wave them over, and they make their way through the growing crowd.

“You made it,” Jason laughs, pulling Zack in for a one-armed hug, his other hand holding a pint of butterbeer. Billy quickly scoots over to make room for them.

“I’ll be right back,” Zack says, before disappearing into the throng. Trini stuffs her hands into her jacket pockets, intensely aware of the eyes on her.

“How’re you doing, Billy?” she says, turning to her friend. He gives her a weak smile, his fingers drawing circles on the rim of his glass.

“I’m good. These things are usually fun, but they can be a bit… much.” He stops his fidgeting to take a sip of his drink before continuing. “It’s nice, though.”

She nods. “Believe me, I get it. Let me know if you want to step outside, yeah?” He nods gratefully at her.

Someone approaches the table, stumbling slightly through the crowd. Trini recognizes that it’s Jen, and she looks more relaxed than Trini even thought possible. She leans against the table in front of Jason.

“What, you too cool for the rest of us, Scott? Are you gonna come join the party, or are you just gonna brood in the corner forever?” The cheeky smile on her face is completely at odds with her words, and Trini knows Jen enough to realize that she’s not actually being mean.

Jason laughs, moving to stand. “I was waiting for some friends, but now that they’re here, the party can really get started.” A few cheers come from the people who overheard, and the table raises their drinks in a toast. Jen’s eyes land on Trini, and they light up.

“Gomez! Hey, c’mon, get over here.” Trini glances around warily, but the rest of the table is encouraging her, and Jason is waving her over. Tentatively, she moves to stand next to them, and nearly falls over when Jen unexpectedly throws her arm over Trini’s shoulder.

“LISTEN UP!” Jen hollers, and the crowd quickly quiets down. Trini can feel her heartbeat start to race, and she’s sure her face is turning red, but Jen has a firm grip on her, and she can’t run away. She looks to Jason, a little panicked, but he just winks in response.

“I would like to introduce to you all… the newest addition to the Hufflepuff quidditch team: Tiny Gomez!” There’s a resounding roar that Trini hopes is congratulatory. She’s so preoccupied that she barely registers that Jen didn’t use her actual name.

She’s about to correct her when someone from the crowd yells “Eyy, you know what that means!” There’s another rumble through the crowd, and Trini’s stomach tightens.

Suddenly, Zack shoulders his way through the crowd. “Way ahead of you,” he calls out, holding up a tray with several shot glasses on it. The crowd cheers.

Jen shakes her a little, startling her out of her nervousness. “It’s a tradition,” she explains. “Newbies and captains take shots together.”

Zack sets the tray down on the table in front of them, and the smell of firewhisky wafts up, making her wrinkle her nose. He positions three shots in front of each of them.

Jason raises his hand. “Alright. You guys ready?” He looks to her for confirmation, and she takes a deep breath before nodding. Jen is looking at her with a challenging smirk.

“Ready… Set… Go!”

One of the Gryffindors chuckles. “This is gonna be goo—Oh holy shit!” The crowd is in an uproar as Trini confidently grabs a shot and downs it in one go. She’s grateful that Zack didn’t get doubles, as she downs the next one. She doesn’t make a face until after the third shot, finishing a split second before Jen does.

The crowd goes absolutely wild. Several hands are pounding her on the back, and Trini groans, afraid that they’ll bring the firewhisky back up. Eventually, Zack, Jason, and Jen manage to push the crowd back to give her some space.

“Holy fuck,” Jason says in amazement. Billy quickly offers her some of his butterbeer, which she immediately accepts. “Where the hell did you learn to do that?”

“I’m Mexican,” she rasps in between sips, and Zack practically falls over cackling.

Jen gives her a very enthusiastic pat on the shoulder. “Knew I made the right choice picking you, Gomez. I owe you a drink now.”

“And you owe me some sickles.”

“Fuck you, Scott.”

* * *

Trini’s not sure if it’s the environment, or just the firewhisky, but she’s feeling less and less nervous as time passes. The rest of the Hufflepuff team had made their way over earlier, and they’d gotten properly acquainted. Jen had a habit of never using anyone’s actual name, so it was interesting to find out exactly who was on the team.

Another added bonus was that people had been so impressed with her earlier display that people had been offering to buy her drinks all night. Eventually she started turning down the offers, otherwise she wouldn’t be sober enough to make it back to the castle.

“You want another drink, Billy?” she asks him, not wanting her friend to feel left out. He smiles, shaking his head.

“No, I’m good.” He fidgets nervously for a second before standing, a bit abruptly. “Actually, I’m gonna step outside for a second.” He doesn’t wait for a response before weaving through the crowd.

Trini lets him go, but makes a mental note to check on him in a few minutes. She heads over to the bar to get a drink of water.

She’s looking for an open space when she sees a familiar bob of hair. She manages to squeeze past several people, accidentally stepping on a few toes, before reaching the girl sitting at the bar.

“Drinking alone?” she asks, and Kimberly turns, blinking with surprise.

“Hello to you too,” she says with a smile, taking another sip of her drink. Trini isn’t sure what it is, but she’s fairly certain that it’s stronger than butterbeer. “Good show earlier, by the way. I bet you had all the boys swooning in their seats.”

Trini rolls her eyes. “If they were swooning, I have a feeling that’s due more to the firewhisky than me.” Kimberly chuckles at that.

“You know,” Trini says cautiously, “being antisocial is kind of my thing? So maybe you should get back to your team or whatever, because I’m starting to feel like your creeping on my territory now.”

Kimberly’s smile falters at that, and she sighs. “Don’t really feel like hanging out with them at the moment.”

“And why is that?”

“Reasons.”

“Like?”

Kim looks at her, raising an eyebrow. “Like nunya,” she responds cheekily.

Trini shakes her head. “I deserve that.” After a moment, she speaks again. “I’m sorry, by the way. For being kind of a bitch that time. I was just having a weird day.”

Kimberly shrugs. “It’s in the past, so it’s whatever.” That sentence seems to bother her, because she takes another long sip of her drink, only to make a disappointed noise when she realizes her glass is empty. She flags down the bartender.

“What can I get ye?” he asks, and Kimberly is about to speak when Trini interrupts.

“Two butterbeers, please. Oh, and a glass of water.” The bartender nods and walks off to get their drinks. Kimberly glances at her.

“Wow. Rude, much?”

“Hey, I don’t know what’s in that drink, but it’s definitely not something to be consumed unsupervised. Besides, the boys are probably wondering where you are.” The bartender comes back, setting down three pint glasses in front of them. Trini pays before grabs her butterbeer and water. She shoots the other girl a look. “Are you really gonna turn down a free drink?”

Kim’s lips twist for a moment. Then, with a sigh, she grabs the glass and follows Trini back to the table.

She can see that they’re drawing some curious looks, some of them confused and some of them suspicious. Luckily, Jason and Zack are there to give them a warm welcome, asking Kimberly where she was. Billy joins them after a while, and Trini notices that Kimberly is slowly loosening up, until she’s doubled over with laughter like the rest of them.

She notices Jason looking at her. He mouths “thank you”, and gives her a thumbs up. She’s not really sure why he’s thanking her, but she gives him a thumbs up in return, before going back to sipping her drink, the warmth of the laughter and the room lulling her into a sense of comfort.

* * *

Trini wakes up the next morning with a raging headache. She groans, rolling over and pulling a pillow over her head to block out the light. A large clunk sound radiates through her head, and she winces.

“Good morning, sunshine.” She peeks one eye out to glare at Ernie. She notices that they’ve brought a glass of water, and she sluggishly drags herself into a semi-upright position. They hand her the water, and she mumbles her thanks before draining over half of it in one go.

“What’re you doing here?” she rasps, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve. She realizes that she’s still in her clothes from last night. “You’re not a girl.”

“Special privileges, I guess.” They reach over and lightly tug on something that Trini vaguely feels is wrapped around her head. It turns out be a Gryffindor tie. Ernie raises an eyebrow.

“Probably Zack,” she grumbles. They nod, placing it on the bed.

“Well, I’ll leave you to get yourself sorted out then,” they say, a mischievous twinkle in their eye. “Hate to break it to you, but tradition mandates no magical cures for the post-initiation hangover. However,” they add when Trini practically sobs, “there will be some coffee waiting for you downstairs. See you soon, or in an hour, judging by your current state.”

“This was the worst idea ever,” Trini moans, drinking the rest of the water. Ernie chuckles.

“Just be grateful Jen didn’t schedule practice today.” Trini flops back down defeated, while Ernie’s laugh trails behind them.

[peanutpinet]

Yuta (cold mafia boss)

Prompt: 20)“The only time a man should be fast is when he’s trying to dodge my bullets.” - 100 Dialogue Prompts for Mob Boss AUs

A/N: since NCT 127 have decided to attack us since Friday with all their day/night posts and whatever more things they still got in the back storage, I just gotta do some fics about the dark concept, cause like, yea XD. I asked my friend whose bias is Yuta to choose a prompt and so, here we are XD

Warnings: some form of harassment, cursing (it's Yuta) drinking, spiked drink and hint of kidnapping

It was a Friday night and you were more than excited to finally have some time off to hang out with your boyfriend, Yuta, who was also part "gang leader" of NCT, an infamous group that people thought do illegal doings when they're the ones shutting the illegal businesses down.

Yuta being Yuta didn't disclose what he did from the beginning. But he also never fully tell you everything which, is understandable, it was confidential information. Despite so, Yuta never restricted your movements and you both would have some normal cafe dates, picnic dates, etc. Even so, there will be times where Yuta would have you do some personal training that includes self-defence, quizzes about types of chemicals, guns, etc. In his defense, he just wants you to be prepared should something goes wrong and you're alone.

Despite following Yuta's needs, you would sometimes joke about how it won't happen or that Yuta will make sure it wouldn't go too far or even if anything did happen, you were sure that Yuta would eventually find a way to make things right. Boi, were you in for a treat.

As mentioned, you were finally going to have a night out with Yuta after so long and had just finished getting ready when you received a text from Yuta saying, "hey love, sorry this is super last minute but could you change into a more black-tie dress code? We are sort of having a business dinner tonight and I want to bring you as my date. I'm on my way to pick you up right now. Don't worry, you don't have to put on anything you're uncomfortable cause whatever you wear, you still look hot to me ;)"

So of course you did what Yuta asked. You changed into a simple long black dress that fitted your figure and touched up your makeup a bit more and let your hair down. As you were putting on the last of your accessories and about to put your shoes on, Yuta was already ringing the bell. You quickly opened the door for him and told him that you were just going to put your shoes on which Yuta chuckled and helped you as he saw you struggling.

"You didn't have to go all out and wear heels babe, you'll have sore feet by the end of the night" Yuta mentioned, holding you steady as you were putting on your heels

"I mean, if it's just dinner, I'll just be sitting either way. You so owe me with a pizza movie night next week" you complained, finally putting your shoes

"Anything for you babe. Let's go" Yuta smiled, bringing your arm wrapped around his and helped you get into the car before he went to the driver's seat

Arriving at the dinner, you felt out of place since this was the first time Yuta actually brought you. Noticing your nervous state, Yuta wrapped his arm over your shoulder, telling you that he'll be right beside you unless you need to go to the restroom or need some personal space.

Nodding, Yuta gave you a heartwarming smile and brought you around. First and foremost, to his other members that were joining the dinner, the people you knew the week you and Yuta started dating. Allowing some weight off since how worried you were.

"Oh, (Y/N)!! Welcome!! Hope Yuta didn't force you to come here" Johnny greeted you which Yuta gave him a glare

"Well, he sorta promised me for a pizza movie night date next week, so I guess it's a winwin" you replied, chuckling

"Oooh, can we come? I miss just watching movies on the weekend" Jungwoo requested, pulling out his puppy eyes

"Maybe if you find yourself a girlfriend, I'd consider it" Yuta hissed, you hit him playfully

"Hey (Y/N), sometimes I wonder what you see in Yuta. He's so aggressive" Jungwoo joked as Taeyong tried to calm everyone and directed everyone to their table since dinner was starting

Dinner surprisingly went well and the opposing business partners were actually cooperating; like, they would agree to what NCT were asking, even giving some suggestions for the corporation. But nevertheless, every NCT member were on their best guard; heck, they all had their guns rested by their hips and even knifes hidden within their clothing.

Seeing how the talk about the business bore you, you took a big sip off of the drink the waiter had just poured for you. Suddenly feeling the urge to go to the bathroom, you excused yourself from everyone at the table, nodding your head when Yuta told you to immediately come back once you're done.

However, you didn't go to the bathroom because of the urge to pee or anything. Instead, it's because you didn't feel too good, maybe the alcohol in your drink was a bit too much to your tolerance but whether you want to admit it or not, you didn't feel good and felt like you could pass out at any second.

After purging and sitting down for a bit, you felt slightly better but not good enough because everything around you was tilted. Taking a deep breath, you just kept on thinking how the dinner table wasn't that far and if you hurry, you can just make it to Yuta's side and pass out however you like.

Pulling whatever willpower you have left, you stood up and started to walk out of the bathroom. Holding onto the wall, you slowly walked down the hall back to your table, until someone came up to you, asking if you were alright which you told them that you were fine. You may be dizzy and not feeling good, but you surely weren't dumb nor were you drunk.

Despite the guy saying that all he wanted to do was to help you, you clearly knew that wasn't his true intention since he was gripping you a bit too much to your liking. You've tried pushing him away but that only made his grip tighter. And to top it off, instead of helping you to your actual table or at least asking where your table was, he brought you to a more quiet area; making your heart beat quicker.

Unfortunately, at this point, whatever was in your drink was sinking it and you slowly start to lose consciousness and hope as from what you can see, you were far from your table. But thank the universe because all of a sudden you hear a loud ring and the tight grip was gone; instead, it was replaced by a warm embrace.

"Get him out of here before I actually kill him right here and now" you heard Yuta's stern voice commanding his other members

"I got you, baby. Let's get you back home, hmm?" you heard Yuta's voice turned soft; not having any more energy, you just nodded and fell asleep in his embrace

Because Yuta felt he can't leave you alone nor not torment the people that hurt you, he decided to bring you back to NCT's place. Wiping off your makeup and putting on your skincare for you, Yuta had one of the maids help change your clothes and then he tucked you in bed; not leaving your side until he's convinced that you're fully asleep before leaving a gentle kiss on your forehead then quietly leaving the room.

Walking out of the room, he saw Jeno and Jaemin, asking them to guard your room until he gets back. Making his way to the basement, he met with the NCT members that joined the dinner that did not end well at all.

Turns out, not long after you left, the neos already had a bad feeling; that something was not right, especially since their "business partners" were eyeballing the situation around them and it was revealed that the dinner was just a cover-up and that they were planning to use you to get to the neos, which clearly did not end well for them.

"Is she alright?" Taeyong asked, seeing Yuta was fuming

"She's very much passed out the second I found her. Are they all in there?" Yuta questioned strictly

"Yea. All tied up and blindfolded on the ground" Johnny mentioned

"Good" Yuta smirked, slamming the door open, making the prisoners jerked in surprise

"Rise and shine motherf*ckers. I hope you're ready for what's coming" Yuta shouted as some of the neos took their blindfolds off

"And y'all call yourselves men. Tch. You guys may be agile but not agile enough. The only time a man should be fast is when he’s trying to dodge my bullets. Not getting caught by their enemies. And surely not looking or thinking to do anything to another person's girlfriend. Oh well, what's done is done. Be lucky that we all got there in time. But, that doesn't mean I'll go easy on you. Let's see...should I start off with your fingers because you touched my girl or your head for ever thinking that little stunt of yours. Either way, I'm definitely going to take my time with you all" Yuta ranted, a smirk forming on his face as he saw the horror of his prisoners while the neos put their blindfolds back on

A/N: yeap, this turned out longer than expected. Welp, this is what happens when NCT updates with a dark concept I guess XD

[theyreonlynoodlesmike]

A Reading: Part 3 (Poly!Lost Boys x Fem!Witch Reader)

<- Previous Chapter. Next Chapter ->

Warnings: cursing, threats, manipulation

Word Count: 3257

Y'know how I said I would update this fic and then I never did? Well, come get y'all juice

Still. They were all perfectly still after you explained everything that you'd seen. None of the boys moved, but none of them were looking at you. They were processing your words, with some of them having already asked a multitude of questions as you tried to explain. You'd told them that this path, the path they'd set themselves on, would only lead to death. Their deaths. But that, as you'd seen, it wasn't either of the brothers that fired the first shot. Well, it wasn't their hand on the trigger- stake- whatever. It was two boys you hadn't seen even in your vision. They were with the youngest brother, but the thing that you stressed was that he wasn't the one that staked him. Staked Marko. You didn't even know the kid, but you were trying to make sure he didn't end up on a missing poster. 

You'd described the images in as much detail as you could. From the cards, you guessed it would be Paul and then Dwayne next simply from their placement on the death card. David would be last, but, again, you guessed that that battle would be between him and the brunette. From the way he'd held the antlers, the way he'd stared directly at the platinum blonde. A shiver ran down your back, and you reached for your cat. You tugged him close to your chest, and glanced at the four vampires. You'd tried to be as helpful as you could, keeping in mind the disadvantage that you were at. The silence was starting to thicken the air, make the hairs on your arms stand up. Salisbury meowed, as if sensing your discomfort. That little noise broke them out of whatever haze they'd been under, and it was Marko that asked,

"Is it- Is this it? There's nothing we can do?" He asked, and, even if they were vampires, your heart broke for him for a moment. The way he looked at you, how big his eyes were. The rest had lifted their eyes as well. Paul's eyes were eager, pleading. As if you could stop this. Dwaynes were intense, staring into you. As if there were more answers written into the creases of your face that he could see if he just looked a little harder. And David? David's face was unreadable, but his eyes were alight with anger. You gulped, and quickly shook your head.

"No- no. This is just the current path you're on. You make decisions every day, ones that keep you or push you off of a path. You just have to find a way off of it, and onto a better one." You told them. There was hope for them, even if you knew part of you shouldn't have been encouraging that. They were vampires. Killers. You should be happy to find that the creatures plaguing Santa Carla were going to end up dead in a matter of weeks. But, you couldn't bring yourself to be. Not when they were right in front of you and some of them seemed to be fighting tears. Fighting hopelessness. 

"We could kill them." Paul suggested with a shrug, and you were quick to send him a glare. But, to your surprise, David shook his head. Perhaps it was just because he knew you'd argue, or maybe it was because David knew that wouldn't take care of all of them. Or some of them might die in the process. David was staring to the side, and you could practically see the way the gears were working. He was trying to figure this out, figure a way out of it. You pet Salisbury absently, feeling awkward in your own home. There wasn't like there was much you could do now-

"Why are you traveling alone anyways?" David asked suddenly, and the question nearly made you flinch. Your eyes flicked to him, and, without meaning to, your thoughts gave him your answer. Witch hunters flashed through your mind. Your most recent encounter giving him a crystal clear image of what you faced. Of your predicament. You were running, trying to escape the hunters that pursued you. He stared, and then he nodded. "Our problems are the same then." He said, and your eyebrows furrowed. You stared at him, wondering what he meant. Where he was taking this. To answer him, you said a small,

"I suppose." It was barely a mumble. You didn't know if you would call them the same. Vampire hunters and witch hunters were both hunters at the end of the day, but you were sure you didn't deserve the prosecution. Them on the other hand…

"This could work. You protect us, we'll protect you." He said, and his voice sounded as if he already decided it. You opened your mouth to protest, or maybe just question, but David interrupted you. "Or, we could just eat you." And you shut your mouth just as quickly as you'd opened it. They watched you, waiting to see what you'd decide, and you finally let out a sigh.

"What do you want me to do?" And David grinned. Some of their requests you could've guessed. Protection spells and wards, and Paul had even asked if you'd bless a few of his jewelry items. You'd replied to that with a simple,

"Won't that burn you though?" And he shrugged and replied,

"Why, are you a priest?" And you did your best not to let him make you smile. You really did. But it still lead to you saying,

"These are gonna take time, especially the spells. I won't- I won't be able to complete them all tonight." You said, especially with how exhausted you were. The sun was coming up soon anyways, and it wasn't like they'd be able to avoid the rays completely in your little caravan. Plus, you weren't sure your nerves would be able to tolerate staying in such close quarters with them for an entire day if they did get stuck with you. Luckily, they could take a hint and they all finally headed towards the door, and Marko called to you with a wave of his fingers,

"Don't go anywhere." He said teasingly, but part of you knew the threat that lied underneath. Paul winked at you and said a quick, 

"Check you later, chica." Before Dwayne sent you a pair of finger guns and headed out the door with the rest of them. David was last, and he hung around for a moment. He looked around your little home, at all your trinkets and things. And then his eyes settled on you. You could feel the suggestion in his tone as he said,

"Don't even think about leaving." He told you, and you felt your necklace pang. Deflect any of the mental games he was trying to play. You nearly wanted to glare at him for trying to use his mind control on you, but you bit your tongue. You were so close to getting off scot-free. You wouldn't mess it up with a harsh word. Instead, you just nodded, and you watched as he left the room and you locked the door behind him.

You fell in a heap into your bed, staring at the roof of your caravan. It had been a normal town, just trying to make a buck. Now, you were involved with vampires. Vampires. You ran a hand over your face and groaned. As you tried to get ready and settle into bed, you ran the events over and over in your mind. Perhaps you should've just kept driving, or stopped in the next town over. Anything to have avoided the predicament you were in now. You sighed and tried to fluff your pillow, Salisbury at your side as the sun peeked above the horizon. As you tried to fall asleep, you decided that this seemed to be a never-ending nightmare

You were quickly proven right when a loud knock came at your door. You'd been up for a few hours, but you'd been too shaken to really explore Santa Carla. Or to try to make any money. The night had been slow, with you working on a few spells that you thought could help your reluctantly made allies. The knock had startled you, and you went to the door to peer outside. You left the chain on just in case. Standing there was Paul, a wide grin on his face. You hadn't even realized it'd gotten dark yet.

"Evening, sweet-cheeks. Miss me?" He asked, and you sighed. You undid the chain and pulled the door open another inch. You were surprised to see that it was just him, and a part of you eased. One vampire you could handle. "Now, did you have a dream about me too or was that just me?" When you stared at him and didn't reply, he sighed and shook his head. He pushed himself up from where he'd been leaning and said, "David told me to come check on you. Make sure you were still here." He said, almost sounding upset that you weren't willing to play along. But you were sure that he must've been used to his fair share of rejection by now.

"Well, I am." You told him, standing in the doorway and staring at the blonde. He arched a brow, surprised by your coldness. "Anything else?" You asked, trying to speed this up. The quicker you could finish their spells, the quicker you could leave Santa Carla. Paul sucked his teeth and shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Nah, not really. You finish my ring?" He asked, keeping his tone cool. Even if you could tell he didn't enjoy how quickly you were trying to get rid of him. 

"Yeah, a little while ago." You told him. He glanced at the opening in the door, not so subtly asking. You sighed and pushed the door open. He grinned at the silent invitation, and followed you into the trailer. He closed the door behind him as you went to your bed, picking the piece of jewelry off of your makeshift work table. You'd meant to just turn around and give it to him, but Paul passed you to lay on the bed just next to the slab of wood you were using to place all of your things. He grinned up at you, staring at you from where you stood. You stared back, not looking half as amused as he did. His hair had splayed out behind him, and his mesh shirt had risen a bit. Showing off a sliver of skin. He grinned when he saw your eyes follow the movement of him pulling it down. You quickly looked away and went to sit on the bed on the other side of your table as Paul pushed himself up onto his elbows.

The boys had made you nervous yesterday, but now? You were tired, grumpy, and just wanted to be left alone. But Paul was the least intimidating of the bunch, even if you knew you shouldn't underestimate him, and he was insistent on staying and amusing himself by touching all your things. He reached out to touch the herbs and jars you had on your table, and you lightly shooed away his hand. The gesture only earned a grin from him and he teased you by reaching out again. When you sent him a glare, he responded with, 

"You're really cute when you're angry." And you rolled your eyes. You tried not to let it chip at your resolve, but you could feel your cheeks heating up. You handed him his ring, a silver one with an eyeball on it, and you watched as he slipped it on. No burns. He grinned, playing with it and examining it. "So, what will it do?" He asked, and you waved your hand lightly as you spoke, calling a cup of tea towards you.

"It's just got some light protection on it. It'll warn off bad entities and help keep you safe." You said as you paged through your book, taking the cup from the open air and taking a sip. You didn't see how Paul watched the action, and you flipped the page. You were trying to find a spell that could protect all of them, or their space. You'd been consider the idea of warding wherever they slept during the day, but you were hesitant to suggest that. You didn't necessarily want to walk in a vampire den, allies or not.

Paul didn't move to stand, even after he had his ring. He hung around, even if he was just watching you read. He played with his ring, turning it on his finger, and the pair of you chatted here or there. Finally, he said,

"Did you- Did you do the dream thing?" He asked, and you looked up and responded with a confused hum. He looked surprised by your confusion, and quickly looked back down at your ring. "Oh, just- I really did dream about you and we don't usually…" He trailed off, and this time your eyes didn't leave his face. He'd looked away, and you could tell he was trying to figure something out. In fact, you thought he almost looked embarrassed. You tilted your head, the edge of your lips tilting up as you watched him. "Nevermind. How does your floaty thing work?" He asked, and you laughed and nearly choked on your drink from his description.

"My telekinesis?" You clarified, and he nodded. He was smiling, and it lit up his entire face. He was quick to reply,

"Yeah, that." And you found yourself staring for a moment. You knew vampires were supposed to be attractive. Most supernatural creatures were. It was a part of their appeal, like a venus fly trap. They pulled you in with their beauty and their charm, just to snap around you and eat you while you were still alive. But the way Paul's smile lit up his face? How easily he laughed and, while you could blame this on herbal substances, how he just seemed the slightest bit slow? It all made it seem as if he wouldn't hurt a fly. You smiled to yourself and said, 

"Uh, what do you mean?" You asked, and Paul was leaning in, nearly making your work table tip over. 

"Like, you can move things with your mind, right? So, is there anything you can't move or like- y'know?" He asked, and you swirled the spoon in your tea. You thought about it, and then shook your head.

"I mean, I don't use it all the time. I don't really think there's a limit it's just, like, how concentrated I am. But, I guess, I get tired when I use it too much." You told him. You didn't know why you were telling him these things, but you supposed he was good company. Better than you talking to Salisbury. If you were honest, it was probably the fact that it'd been a long time since you'd talked to anyone. And anyone that was as attractive as the blonde.

"Could you use it on me?" He asked, and you saw the glint of mischief in his eyes. You let out a scoff when he lifted his eyebrows suggestively, and you waved him away.

"In theory, yes." You told him, and he rested his head on his hand then. He gestured to you, as if encouraging you to do it. You gave him a look, and he rolled his eyes.

"Oh, come on. If I knew witches were as uptight as you, I-" And you flicked your wrist. He was pushed back and his wrists were pinned on either side of his head. A surprise noise left his mouth, and you watched as he struggled. You pushed your work table out of the way, moved to sit besides him, and looked down at him. Your face was only a few inches away from his, and you watched the way he tried to pull against the hold. But, the grip was solid and his wrists didn't move an inch. Gently, you grazed your fingertips against his jaw to gather his attention,

"Happy?" You asked, and you watched as his gaze lifted up to you. He was watching you carefully, but, as the grin grew on your face, a smirk grew on his. You watched as a fire in his eyes grew, and the heat of it threatened to burn you.

"Extremely." He said, biting his lip and raking his gaze over you in a way that didn't hide at all what he was thinking. You didn't need to be able to read his mind to tell. You laughed, tugging yourself away from him just when he started to lean up, and you flicked your wrist to let him go. As you sat back, he followed you. One of his hands went down to yours, his cool fingertips reaching to hold your hand. "Is there anything else you can do?" He asked, tilting his face close to yours. Your breath hitched and you leaned back, and you tried to find a way to make your mouth move. To ignore the flirting in his tone. To ignore the way that, if you didn't know what he was, you would've already pulled him in. You tried to remind yourself. Vampire. Not to be trusted. Not to be underestimated. You'd forgotten that Paul could hear you, and the next moment Paul was tsking and saying, "You think too much." Just before he leaned in to close the gap.

***

When Paul approached the boys with a pep in his step and reeking of the witch, David arched a brow at him and asked,

"Well?" And Paul gave him a lazy grin.

"She won't be a threat." Paul said easily, and Dwayne lifted his eyes to give him a glare. Paul lifted his hands up, giving the brunette a look back. "What? I did what I was supposed to. Her telekinesis is strong, but she gets tired if she uses it too much and she didn't do the dreams. There, happy? And," He said. He went to sit on the railing, just next to where Dwayne was standing. He was slipping the ring off of his finger to give himself something to play with as he continued, "I figured she wouldn't be a problem if she actually liked us." He said, and David watched him for a moment. For how dumb the blonde usually played, sometimes he wasn't dumb at all.

He'd sent Paul to scope her out, to figure out how strong she was, and to more so see how she'd react to just one of them. If she'd try to make a break for it or surrender herself to the situation. It seemed she'd picked the latter. And the blonde was right. It would help if she liked them, even if Paul had a specific type of like in mind. Marko landed a soft punch on Paul's arm, and affectionately said,

"You're such a dog, man. We sent you to get information, you ass." But it seemed nothing was going to dim Paul's mood. He shrugged and said,

"I did. I just answered a few of my own questions." He said nonchalantly. Star and Laddie were off somewhere, so it was just the four of them on the boardwalk that evening. They watched the crowd for a moment, before Marko finally asked,

"How far did you get anyways?"

[unprofessional-bard]

Chapter 9 - Love Among the Ruins

Losing My Religion Series Masterlist

Unprofessional Bard's Masterlist

Previous Chapter • Next Chapter

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female!Reader/OC

Warnings: Angst in the beginning, some fluff in the middle and smutty smutty smut with dirty talk(?) at the end with a surprise 😌

Summary: The lovers finally confront each other.

Word Count: 5.925

Author's Note: For those who are wondering about the date - it's mid September & October, 2035! I'm so sorry for the late update, my inspo was a little low; writing this chapter was disastrous because I changed the course of the story halfway through but after many proofreading's and editing, here we are. My apologies again for keeping you all waiting for so long, I hope y'all are still interested in this series 🥺

Enjoy!

As you had predicted, you hadn't healed an ounce. All your bruises did was change colour and, according to Katherine, it was a sign that you were healing. Bullshit, you had said. You didn't say you knew better than a doctor, but you'd had similar scars like these and they healed quicker in the span of a week than these had in ten days.

"I'm sorry-" You had immediately apologised to Katherine after you let your frustration slip. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"No offense taken," She smiled sadly. "I understand your frustration, (Y/N). Physical damage like yours takes its toll on the person."

"I ain't healing, Katherine." You croaked, sighing. "It doesn't have anything to do with your treatment."

"I know," Katherine caressed your shoulder gently. "You went through hell and you need to rest. You need to heal emotionally so the rest of you can too."

The words stuck to you, of course you knew it had something to do with your mental health, but you didn't know exactly what you needed or needed to do.

But deep down, you knew exactly what you needed.

So that's why -after a total of a week and a day in the infirmary had passed and Tommy visited you by himself on a rainy morning- you decided to confront Joel.

"Hey," Tommy appeared by your door with that stupid smirk and Texan drawl.

"Hey," You chuckled through your nose at the sight of him. Your voice was better than it was a couple of days ago: "You look cheerful."

"No more than usual," Tommy sat down. "How're you feelin' today?"

"No shittier than usual," You scoffed, making him chortle. Before you knew it, the following words rolled out of your tongue: "I want to see Joel." Tommy's expression morphed into a shocked one, as he clearly wasn't expecting you to say that, so you added while he remained silent: "That ass hasn't visited me once."

"He... actually did- does," Tommy cleared his throat. "But you don't know that 'cause he does when you're asleep."

Your eyes widened at the new information, your brows immediately knitted: "What?"

"Dolly, look-"

"Don't you Dolly me!" You hissed. "Tommy Miller, you're no less of an ass than your brother!"

"Why am I an ass now?!" Tommy objected.

"You knew he visited me and kept it from me?!" You raised your voice.

"What's going on?" Daisy suddenly walked in, hearing the commotion from meters away.

"Nothing- don't worry," He quickly lowered his voice and reassured her. "Something bit Dolly in the ass."

"Oh fuck you Tommy," You flipped him off. "You're lucky I'm stuck to this damned bed, or I'd smack the shit out of you-"

"Why is my husband's sister-in-law smacking the shit out of my husband?" Maria appeared out of nowhere, smirking as she looked at the scene in front of her.

Tommy liked to refer to you as her sister-in-law, even though you weren't labelled as married with Joel; it unintentionally became a habit of the actually married couple and, even though the road ahead wasn't clear for you, they made you a part of the family. You didn't mind, you didn't try to protest against it because this was exactly the same case with "Dolly".

"Your husband is being an ass!" You groaned.

Tommy stayed quiet for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "You know what? You're actually right. I should've told you."

"...It's okay," You didn't look him in the eyes as you exhaled heavily.

A confused Daisy walked out of the room with an okay, nevermind kind of expression on her face, making Maria walk into the room and close the door behind her: "What happened?"

"Joel visits me while I'm asleep and none of you bother to tell me about it?" You looked between them in a displeased manner.

Maria and Tommy exchanged a guily look between themselves, then Maria spoke: "Yeah, we should've told you, you're right... but you said you weren't ready to face him just yet. He knows this and he's ashamed of what he did, so I think he thought it was better to visit you like that than not visit at all."

"Well, I'm not going to pussy out and avoid this furthermore, I want to see him." The couple exchanged another worried look before you added: "Bring him here- to me."

Tommy chuckled. "He'll come running, don't worry, but he just left for patrol..."

"Oh... okay. Afterwards, then." You said, calmer now.

"I'll let him know when he returns," Maria turned to her husband and then back to you. "I'm glad you decided to talk to him - one of you had to do it sooner or later and, well, I knew it was going to be you."

You gave Maria an alien look, many emotions running through your mind as she continued: "You may not be aware, but you're quite confrontational. I think Ellie got that from you."

"Oh, no," You smiled a little. "I got it from her. She's the most confrontational kid I've ever seen."

Maria smiled back: "As I was saying, you're confrontational, but Joel isn't - according to Tommy, anyways."

"You're right, to some level anyway," You looked at Tommy, then leaned back on your pillows.

Whether they liked it or not, a person has to come face to face with their mistakes, accept them, learn from them and move on. It was easier said than done of course, you knew this better than anyone - suddenly you felt sick to your stomach, memories of your first weeks in Jackson interrupting your train of thought, all of a sudden making you nauseous and giving you a desperate urge to be left alone.

"Are you okay, (Y/N)?" Maria sat beside you. "You're going paler by the second-"

"I'm fine," You gulped. "Just- old memories-"

Maria immediately took your hand which was closest to her in both of hers: "It's going to be okay, nothing that can't be sorted out."

"I know," You smiled weakly, the need to empty your insides crawling up your throat. "I should rest a while, I don't feel too well-"

"Should I call Kat?" Tommy asked and Maria gave you a concerned look.

"No, no, I'm fine, I just- I need to sleep for a bit..." You gave her hand a weak, reassuring squeeze, then closed your eyes and pressed your head against the pillows. The couple took this as their cue and left quietly, letting you fall into a long sleep.

----

It was a tough day for the eldest Miller brother. He was absolutely drained and currently sleeping on the uncomfortable, leather chair outside your room after a rather harsh patrol; his arms were crossed and legs were spread and he was sure his neck would've snapped in half if he hadn't woken up to the echoing of a door opening. He quickly sat up, all those years out in the wild having made his hearing hypersensitive, and cursed quietly, rubbing his neck and groaning. The watch on the wall read 19:07 and his head snapped towards your door immediately, but before he could get up, a voice he wasn't entirely fond of scratched at his ears.

"Hey man..." It was Walt. He scratched the back of his neck as Joel slowly turned his head toward him. "I- I wanted to see how she was doin'..."

Joel just nodded: "She's cross with you, but she'll appreciate that."

"Wait- you cool with me visiting her?" Walt halted, making Joel sigh and cross his arms.

"I am- unless you give me a reason not to be." He said and told the redhead not to push his luck. Walt just nodded and sat beside Joel.

"Would ya mind if I asked what happened?" Walt spoke, his green eyes falling on Joel's hazel ones.

"I do." Joel didn't look at him, focusing on the floor instead. "I don't wanna talk about it."

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"It's okay."

"It's just that, I saw Tommy and Maria talking with Eugene and I overheard how your relationship was ah..."

Joel's head snapped at Walt's words which trailed off: "Didn't I just say I don't wanna talk about it?"

"Right- you're right, I'm sorry." Walt apologised as Joel gave him an irritated look. "I am, really."

Joel turned his head forward and leaned back, sighing through his nose. He couldn't believe you would've ended up with Walt, of all the people in Jackson, if Ellie hadn't set you two up on Christmas- or, well, if he had died in that hospital while saving his daugh-

"I just wanna say," Walt interrupted Joel's train of thought. "She'll come around. She always does. I pulled off some real stupid shit ever since we became friends and she always forgave me. She's a good person."

Joel side eyed him: "Yeah, she is..."

"But don't tell me you're gonna wait here until she makes up her mind and decides to forgive you Lord knows when?" Walt chuckled. "You don't wait for someone that long..."

Joel turned his head toward him once more and straightened up, hands squeezing his arms tighter at his nonsense: "I am gonna wait. You bet your ass I will - as long as she wants me to. She's broken, but healing- and that kinda healin'?" He pointed at your room. "It takes a lotta time... She has all the time she needs to make up her mind- don't really care if it takes days or weeks. I'm heartbroken too, but in the end, I'll wait."

Walt's smile immediately dropped the second those words left Joel's lips. He was frozen on spot, totally humiliated and couldn't do anything as he added: "I don't expect you to understand. If you loved her like I do, you'd wait."

Joel could tell Walt wanted to be swallowed by a deep hole in the ground - he was utterly dumbfounded and clearly wasn't aware of how your relationship with Joel was love at its truest form.

"I think it's best if you leave now." Joel sighed once more, got up without sparing another look at the shocked man, then quietly walked into your room.

----

You woke up from a reoccurring nightmare right when the chatter outside had began. It's the same scenario: You're captured by Axel, but there are different endings sometimes.

Usually, it's just the image of Axel's ruined corpse. You knew you'd done some pretty fucked up things in the past as a FEDRA soldier and you acknowledged them, but none of them was as bad as this one, you thought. Beating a man to death to the point of bringing his insides out? Even though your acts were mostly justified in your head and by the people who knew the story, you simply couldn't believe you went as far as to torture him to death.

He was right, he did ruin you.

Sometimes, right before you're captured, he shoots Joel in the head while negotiating your surrender. This is the worst one next to the one when you let the darkness envelop you whole- let it embrace you and you end up losing everyone and everything, including your mind. Those are the ones that wake you up with a brutal scream, that has the nurses rushing into your room in panic.

Sometimes it'd be after he captured and tortured you: After hearing the gunshots from outside and fleeing, you'd die and wake up in cold sweat with trembling hands. Sometimes, one little mistake and either Tommy or Joel -or both- would die. Sometimes you'd die right in front of them- Axel would shoot back instead of running like a coward and the bullet would put a hole between your brows. The thing that scared you wasn't the dying bit, it was the fear of failure and agony you'd cause to your family: To Joel and Ellie, Tommy, Maria and to the others who cared for you. The way Joel told you not to go after Axel or to not do certain things echoed through your subconscious and you acknowledged just how right he was.

That was what you were afraid of.

Disappointment, disapproval and failure.

In this nightmare, however, you were going hand to hand with Gabe. You remembered how scared you'd felt when he pulled off that move with his legs, trapping your neck between his ankles with incredible flexibility and slamming you to the ground while you were trying to stab him, almost crushing your neck - that scene was replaying in your head, but in this version, he cut off your breathing and you could't get up on time when Joel pushed through. Just as he got into your line of vision to shoot him, however, Gabe reached for the pistol strapped to his thigh and shot Joel in the head; you woke up with a gasp, eyes wide and you were trembling everywhere. You were sweating as if you'd ran a marathon under the sun and your breathing was heavy just as much.

As you laid in the bed, stunned, you heard everything that was being said outside. At first you couldn't hear anything other than your breathing and heartbeat, but as you forced yourself to calm down, the voices got clearer and clearer: It was Walt and Joel.

Your teeth were about to crush from clenching them so tight, you still weren't processing the chatter completely, but you managed to understand only these words:

"If you loved her like I do, you'd wait."

You felt like you were paralyzed on spot, tears rolling out of the corners of your eyes and running down the side of your nose were mixing with the droplets of sweat formed around your face when you heard a soft knock on your door and the opening of it: "Hey..." You were looking bewildered, as if you'd seen some supernatural creature, making Joel alert: "Hey, are you alright?"

You just blinked a couple of times as you shook your head sideways. There was a barbed wire wrapped around your throat, you couldn't reply as he walked to your side, stood just above you and asked: "What's wrong, what happened?"

You were expecting Joel to give you a hug or- just caress your back- anything. But he didn't. He didn't touch you, or call you baby, sweetheart, darling...

Dolly...

For an insane second, the failure you were so afraid of came crashing down along with the lines he spoke outside, making you gasp after realising you'd been holding your breath: "Oh Joel," You finally reached out for him, voice cracking, which reminded him of when he pulled Ellie off of that cannibalistic maniac. He gently took your hand in his and immediately sat down beside you without wasting another second. "I'm so sorry-"

"Don't be sorry, darlin', you got nothing to apologise for." Joel put an arm around your shoulders, pulling you flush against his chest. You were his darlin' again, just like that. His chin rested on your head as you trembled and cried: "You heard what I said, didn't you?" He felt you nod against his chest: "I meant every word of it."

You two stayed like that for awhile. Joel eventually leaned back on the bed with you in his arms and let you snivel, tears of his own rolling down his cheeks and onto your pillow in the meanwhile. His hold never loosened around you: As if, if he let you go at that moment, he'd lose you forever. He suppressed the whines that were stuck in his throat - he didn't want to upset you furthermore, didn't want you feeling guilty than you already were.

"Let me look at you," You whispered after a long time, face pressed against his brown jacket you adored, his scent making it's way into your lungs despite your blocked nose.

Joel reluctantly pulled away then, letting you raise your head so that you could take a proper look at him. His eyes were puffy and wet, just like yours: "You got a lil' something on your nose, miss."

You giggled as he reached for napkins from behind him, stayed quiet and gazed into his eyes as he wiped your nose clean; then he moved onto your wet cheeks, then the corners of your eyes. He was so gentle with you, so gentle, that you almost cried again. He took another napkin and wiped the sweat around your temples, forehead and neck; once he was done, he put the napkin away, then looked into your eyes. You shook your head and looked down, embarrassed: "Will you ever forgive me? I-"

"Shh," Joel carefully grabbed your chin with his thumb and pointing finger, pushed your head up slowly and looked deep into your eyes: "I ain't mad or upset. I would've waited for as long as you needed, if it meant bein' yours again."

Your eyes looked away, feeling more ashamed than ever. After a moment of silence, you figured, you shouldn't be upset any longer -for his sake- and spoke: "Since when were you so fancy with words?"

He chuckled softly: "Ever since I figured you like 'em." You chuckled as well and looked lovingly into his eyes. "Know this, (Y/N): I'd do anything for you. Anything."

You realised then, that a kiss much needed by both parties was long overdue, so you leaned forward and attached your lips onto his, cupping his cheek. He kissed back, passionately and full of emotion with a hint of aching, acknowledging the fact that you'd do anything for him too. Neither of you were aware of Tommy and Ellie watching from the door, the younger Miller smiling to himself, then leaving you two be while your daughter watched her parents, finally reunited and in each other's arms.

Things escalated pretty quickly after that. Your healing improved massively, but the road ahead was still long. Your nightmares were still a thing, but you slept better, so you didn't complain. Everyone's moods had improved as well, the Millers were finally happy which boosted other people's morals. You and Joel did a lot of talking and explaining, promising each other that from then on, you'd be more open to each other about the things that disturb you. Joel had explained how one of Axel's guards had taken his jacket off of him before they left because he knew you'd try to escape and it'd be a convincing trap - you, most importantly, opened up to him about how you felt as you killed the man in question.

"You said that nothing could give you more joy than... killing him," Joel cleared his throat awkwardly. "Did you... did you really mean that?"

You stared and blinked. Of course it hadn't, it could never: "Do you actually think that brought joy to me?" Joel nodded sideways. He knew you didn't enjoy it of course. "You do know that, nothing brings more joy into my life than you- and Ellie, right?" You questioned with a tense expression. Had he really seen through you that clearly to assume that the act of torturing someone gave you joy? But you relaxed when Joel let out a relieved sigh, then nodded up and down. "There's never a single truth spoken on a battle if your aim is to anger or scare your opponent..."

"I know, it's just," Joel looked up at you from where he was seated. "I'd've never thought I'd see you like that. You were... you weren't yourself."

"Were you really surprised?" You asked. "Or were you scared?"

Joel thought on your words for a moment: "I guess... I guess I was scared an' upset. To see you like that- I love you darlin'. I wouldn't want anything makin' you like- like that. I... I almost thought I wasn't-"

It was you who nodded then, letting him sigh in a frustrated manner when he struggled to explain himself, but you understood him: "I know Joel... There are ugly sides to the both of us, but- Trust me, I know."

Tommy was glad Joel had found someone he could comfortably open up to like that, it made him happy to know that his brother was in good hands- your hands, unlike his ex-wife's. A month had passed ever since and you were allowed to leave the infirmary and move back in with your lover. You were able to walk without crutches but you needed someone's help like a pregnant lady who could give birth any minute and, 98% of the time, that someone was Joel, of course.

And as soon as you got home, on a chilly October evening...

"Missed me, did you?" Joel chuckled when you didn't let his hand go after he laid you down on your shared bed. You gave him a shy smile and tugged at his hand, biting your lip as he sat down beside you.

"I'm feeling a lot better because of you," You placed soft kisses on his knuckles. "I wasn't healing properly, you know, before we talked." Joel nodded slowly and returned the gesture on your unoccupied hand - your knuckles, the back of your hand and slowly turning your arm and kissing a trail down to your wrist as you continued: "I've wanted to kiss you for so long, to hold you and to be held by you - I got all of that... But there's another thing I want."

He was no fool, he knew exactly what you meant: "Hm? Whatever could that be?"

"Come closer and I'll tell you," You smirked and that line earned you a hungry kiss as your lover placed himself gently on top of you, getting rid of his clothes in the process.

"Oh, I've wanted this too, would you believe that?" Joel smiled into the crook of your neck as he unbuttoned his shirt.

"Really?" You said, your voice quiet in a whisper, as your fingers went under his shirt and trailed up his ribs. "What a coincidence."

Once his shirt came off and he stood above you, his hungry eyes eating you up with a stare which always had heat pooling between your legs, your playfulness dropped as you took in his features. It had been so long since you'd seen his body, you immediately noticed a few changes: Like a new small scar by the side of his chest and the weight loss, of course: "How much weight did you loose?"

"Well," Joel was caught a little off guard and since you were distracted, he slowly began undoing the buttons of your blouse, invisibly wincing at the few bruises decorating your skin. "I can't exactly know, can I?"

His playful tone put a smile on your lips regardless: "I'm serious Joel- is that a new scar?"

He quickly left your blouse's buttons and dipped down, grinded his aching member against yours, his lips finding yours in a hungry kiss. When you parted for the sake of getting some oxygen into your lungs, he spoke: "Darlin', it's been some time since we saw each other - it's nothin' to get upset over. Trust me." You nodded and smiled, hands cupping his ass and pushing them up to indicate that you required another kiss, which Joel gladly obliged: "There are more... pressing matters to attend to."

The best part about this sex was, almost nothing hurt. You had taken a good amount of painkillers before you left and, it was like he knew exactly where you were hurt from your encounter a month ago, so he placed his body on yours accordingly. He slowly moved his head down your neck and then to the valley of your breasts, your hands going into his hair as soon as his teeth were nibbling at your nipples, giving each an equal amount of attention which had you soaked already: "Oh Joel-"

"Yes baby," Joel hissed as he planted passionate kisses around your chest, leaving a wet trail on your breasts which he missed very much; he was having a hard time controlling his urge to decorate them along your shoulders and neck with different shades of red and blue, but of course he held back. Your blouse was all the way open as you rubbed your clothed core against his hard cock. Katherine had suggested that you wore a skirt to make things easier for you when you were getting ready to move out, which you had gladly accepted as wearing pants would be uncomfortable difficult... Little had you known it'd make things easier for Joel too.

Your thighs were bare - somehow, only your underwear was covered by the edges of the skirt and the sight almost made Joel moan, much to your delight, so you grabbed him through his underwear and heard the most beautiful sound as a result: "Fuck, (Y/N)," Joel groaned, face twisted up in yearning and pleasure, which inevitably made you moan. "I don't wanna hurt you, baby."

"You won't," You pleaded as he leaned down and pressed his forehead against yours while settling between your legs, his grip on your thighs were somewhere between hard and soft. "I'll tell you if anything hurts, I promise, but for the love of god, just fuck me Joel."

This was probably a stupid idea. The activity would be too tiring for your body and the last thing Joel wanted to do was cause you distress instead of pleasure, but that was just unfair to the man. It was as if you were provoking him to play rough, because despite what you had told him about letting him know if anything hurt, he still was going to hold back... but what you said afterwards gave him all the permission he needed. Your wish was his command.

His pupils dilated before he lifted your skirt up and dipped his head between your legs, pulling your underwear aside and licking a long stripe up your folds after giving your inner thigh a gentle bite. You gasped loudly, his tongue brushing directly over your clit: "God- fuck!" You were loud, but you didn't care, because he was eating you up just like a man who hadn't eaten anything in a month - which was exactly his case. This felt like the first time again. His tongue expertly worked you to your orgasm, licking between your lips as his beard scratched your inner thighs from time to time; holding you down with his arms around your legs, parting them wider and moving his tongue in a variety of directions as he made you moan over and over again. He hummed against your pussy but suddenly stopped and got up to his knees. You whined at the contact loss, never having felt more disappointed in your life: "Joel..."

He quickly but carefully climbed on top of you, then laid down beside you, diving his fingers between your folds and making them linger around your entrance. With a deep kiss, he inserted a finger into you and you thought you were gonna come right then and there at the feeling. You were partly trapped between his body and the bed and you loved it, moans stuck at the back of your throat as you made out a little roughly, his finger an absolute bliss as it reclaimed its place inside you.

"Joel," You gasped. "More... I need more."

"Hm?" Joel groaned into your ear. "More of what?"

"You- Ah-" You moaned when he inserted a second digit inside your walls, leaving you scratching at his back and possibly leaving a few marks in the process. "Fuck..."

"I bet you missed this, huh?" Joel growled quietly into your ear, grinding his erection to the side of your leg as he stretched you with his thick fingers. "I know I did, seeing you like this..."

"Yes," You moaned, your hand going to grab his cock as he lightly sucked hickeys onto your lower neck and collarbone. Joel moaned when you did, a thrill went down your spine at how hard he was and when he unintentionally thrusted his hips up in your hand, your eyes rolled to the back of your head: "Ohh Joel, t-touch me-"

He thrusted his hips one more time into your hand and as soon as his thumb brushed against your clit, a not so subtle and a rather pornographic moan left your lips, head falling back on the pillows with your grip on his shoulders and nails embedded in his skin. You held onto him for dear life as he fingered you through your orgasm, the wet sounds driving him wild: "There you go, baby, you did so well..."

His words of praise and encouragement weren't lost among your shallow breaths - your body was trembling, not having had such a powerful orgasm in a long time took a toll on you. You'd never seen Joel this desperate and shaky too, like a teenager who was about to have sex for the first time (not that your case was any different).

"Does it hurt?" Joel asked while carefully spreading your legs apart. "When I hold you here?" He grabbed your waist gently - you nodded yes. You weren't exactly sure why it hurt, but you must've taken a few hits there. "Okay... How about here?" His hands smoothly moved to your hips and when you made his hands squeeze a little tighter and noticed you were okay, you nodded no. "Good... I'm gonna turn you over, yeah? Is that okay?"

You nodded, and helped him turn you around and lay your lower body on the pillows. He gently placed your legs as far away from each other without hurting you, exposing your glistening pussy and presenting your ass to him in the perfect angle. A rather animalistic grunt left his lips at the sight, but still he made sure you were okay: "You alright baby?"

"Yes..." You moaned eagerly, secretly not really looking forward to the pain you had to endure for a short while before adjusting to his size again - but you needed him, which was enough to take your mind off the pain. Plus, it was going to be like your first time with him, which was an out-of-earth experience; you were excited that you were going to relive something similar to that again.

At first, his hands pressed down on the bed so he didn't apply pressure to you from anywhere as he lined himself up and pushed slightly. You were already stretched by Joel's thick fingers -which you had missed oh so much- and you were absolutely soaked, it took you only a moment to adjust and let him move deeper into you. He lightly snapped his hips into you, making you moan simultaneously.

"F-fuck-!... You good sugar?" Joel whispered, in an unintentionally seductive tone, which made you clamp down on his length. "Fuck..."

"Yes, yes, yes, Joel-" You whined, absolutely losing your mind over the way he filled you up. "Fuck, ohmygod, please-"

"Shit," Joel growled and started to push in and out of you at a very gentle pace. "You feel so good- Oh Dolly, I'm gonna fuck you so good, darlin'-"

"Yes!" You cried out, tears at the corners of your eyes from the immense pleasure you were receiving. "I'm all yours- ahh~"

Being embarrassed by the noises you made was thrown out of the window a long time ago, thank goodness, otherwise you would've been a little too self-conscious about how loud you were and how much you talked or made noises in general. Joel was exactly in the same state, you two just couldn't keep your mouths shut even if you didn't say a word - neither of you were complaining about the other being loud, of course, it was delightful.

Your jaw hung open when he started going a little faster and harder, your mind going blank at how big and good he felt from this angle, the small bites you felt around the back of your neck wasn't helping your case in any way. You could only hold onto the pillows your head was resting on and moan into the soft material as he reclaimed what was always his.

You could tell he was having a hard time to not grab your hips, or ass, or any part of you; so you decided to spare him the agony and grabbed his wrist which was right next to your head: "Joel, oh- wait..."

"Did I hurt you?" He immediately froze on spot.

"No, no," You reassured him, a whisper of a moan leaving your bruised lips. "Help me up?"

He was confused at what you meant, but quickly got the idea once you pushed yourself on your knees. This position was particularly one of his favourites and you, despite your current state, wanted nothing more than to be railed by this man at the moment and he did it best when he held you close and slammed into you from behind.

You got on your knees and spread them wider, lowering your lower body down while you supported your upper with your arms; Joel immediately pressed his body against yours, hugged your frame with an arm across your chest and pushed into you once more, getting the loveliest sound out of you: "Look at you- couldn't even wait to heal properly..." He growled into your ear, biting the shell of it gently. He groped your breast with the hand on your chest and pinched your nipple between his pointing and middle fingers, which had you throwing your head back right onto the crook of his neck. He kissed your cheek as he continued pounding into you: "You like it when I fuck you like this, huh?"

"Yes," You whined, face twisted up in utter pleasure and somewhat overstimulation. "So good, Joel, so fucking good~"

You felt his hand, which wasn't on your chest, suddenly lift off the bed and sneak down to your clit, causing you to arch your back and have Joel deeper inside you, if that was even possible at this point and a few strokes to your clit had you coming undone around his cock with a high pitched moan.

"Shit," Joel growled and pulled out right before he came, spilling his seed all over your back and ass. The both of you saw the stars because of how powerful the orgasm was, taking a while to recollect yourselves and just panting and trembling. Joel tiredly reached for napkins which were on the nightstand and wiped you clean with them, gently turning you around and laying on your back. He rested his head right below the valley of your breasts, he couldn't seem to catch his breath; you ran your fingers through his hair slowly, looking at the ceiling then chuckling: "Was that too much for you, cowboy?"

He chuckled lightly: "No... maybe..."

You giggled at the exhaustion in his voice, then placed a kiss on the top of his head; a gesture which made him look up, then rise himself a little upwards so he looked directly down at you. You gave him a warm smile and a quizzical look, then, finally he whispered: "(Y/N)..."

"Joel?" You flashed your teeth at him when your smile widened. You really wouldn't know what to do without him, you could confidently say that he was the love of your life.

And, just like he had read your mind, with a shy smile stretched across his lips, he spoke, voice husky yet silvery:

"(Y/N), will you marry me?"

[norafike]

Despite all this, I still love you 31

I have been meaning to update this here for a while, there should be a new chapter over on AO3 later tonight but I can't make any promises to y'all.

...

Arthur's mouth hung open in shock at her words, incapable of understanding the very thing she had just said to him, but with a gentle wave of her hand, he was back to his senses and finally the words clicked in his head.

“Kieran? Duffy?” Arthur wanted confirmation, perhaps she knew another Kieran?

“Yes, that Kieran… what other Kieran do we both know?” She said.

“But you said that Colm killed him, how is he alive then?”

“Because that's what Colm told me, he definitely had Kieran for a short while but I think he managed to escape before he got bored of him.”

“Shit, an' is he at your camp right now?” Arthur asked and quickly she nodded, crossing her arms over her chest and kicking up the dirt beneath her feet, “well you gotta tell Dutch-”

“No, we can't do that.” Nora interjected, running in front of him as he began to march towards the old plantation house, Arthur stumbled as he stopped and raised an eyebrow, “look I don't think tellin' Dutch is a good idea, Mr. Morgan, Hosea maybe but definitely not Dutch.”

“He'd appreciate us tellin' him that a gang member is still alive.”

“A gang member, please- y'all only realised he was a member of this gang after he went missin', presumed dead… so don't tell me he's a gang member because to Kieran he sure as hell didn't feel that way.” Nora snapped, moving her hands to her hips and Arthur looked shocked at her sudden outburst.

“You have a point-” he didn't even manage to finish before she was running past him, taking cover behind a large bush and as he approached he heard the unmistakable sounds of her throwing up, frowning when he realised.

“You alright?” He asked and no sooner than the question left his lips did she emerge, wiping her mouth with her hand.

“I um- it's nothin'.” She sighed.

“Didn't seem like nothin',” Arthur reached forward and gave her shoulder a couple of gentle taps, trying best to comfort her which she appreciated regardless of the awkwardness behind it. “I won't tell Dutch, but I am gonna go see him when he's recovered enough.”

“I can't stop you unfortunately, but please be kind to him.”

“For your sake I will… hell for his sake too.”

Nora nodded, quickly stepping closer to Arthur and pulling him in for a quick hug, “I gotta go now before someone dies but I'll write you when Kieran's recovered some.”

She waved goodbye as she ran over to the horses, wasting no time as she spurred Casper into a gallop down the road out of the camp. When she was far enough away she let out a long sigh, running a hand over her face in frustration. “I'm a damn fool,” she sighed, but what had happened couldn't be changed no matter how hard she wished it to.

...

“The wanderer returns.” Cripps cheered in that sickening joyful tone, holding his arms out wide in greeting as soon as Nora began to walk back into the camp. He dropped his own smile when he noticed her long face and the concern was increased drastically at this, “what's got ya all sad?”

“Do I need to repeat it?” She sighed and at her reply he knew what had affected her mood.

“I see now.” He sighed, taking hold of her left hand and giving it a gentle squeeze, “I might not know how this feels, but you're gonna be okay, Nora. I promise.”

“I hope so, Cripps, I hope so.”

“You made it this far and I'm certain this isn't gonna be anythin' you can't handle, after all… you've done it before.”

Nora chuckled lightly, “not the whole thing.”

“And you got all of us here, willin' to help ya, Nora, there ain't no need to worry.”

She nodded slowly, tears brimming in her eyes at how thankful she was to have a friend like Cripps at all times and when he noticed her on the verge of crying he pulled her in for a hug, squeezing on tight as if afraid to let her go, “you're a strong young woman, Nor… don't you forget it.”

...

In the following days, she stuck to camp, monitoring Kieran closely and slowly he recovered until in no time he was out of Nora's cot and working hard just like he had been during his time with the Van Der Linde gang.

Nora and Cripps often told him to not work so much, especially with the few injuries that weren't healed completely but he wanted to repay his debts for them taking care of him when he was helpless had it not been for them well, Kieran was almost certain he wouldn't be alive today.

Nora, just as she said she would, sent Arthur a letter addressed under 'Tacitus Kilgore' the moment she began to notice Kieran's significant improvement. He was getting better before but with each passing day there was a large increase in what he could do and how he felt about it, and just as expected Arthur did ride in after a few days of expectant waiting however, he was accompanied by Hosea who only looked nervous to be there.

“It's nice to see ya again, Mr Matthews!” Nora took hold of his hands in greeting, giving him a polite smile as she walked him over to the campfire in welcome. On the way she turned back towards Arthur, giving him a glare at the fact he brought Hosea along but what's done was done.

“Well, it's lovely to see you again as well, dear,” he gave her a charming smile as he sat down and his eyes quickly drifted to the flames before him and no sooner than he was settled did Nora call Cripps over, telling him to socialize while she dragged Arthur out of earshot to talk.

“You brought Hosea?!”

“You didn't say I couldn't,” he exclaimed, “and besides, I trust him not to tell.”

“I trust him too, I'm just worried… Kieran is in a bad way for one.”

“But you said he was okay.” Arthur crossed his arms and leaned forward slightly, his head now at the same level as hers.

“Trust me, he healed quicker than I did. But you can't be too certain.” She brushed her hair out of her eye before looking over at the campfire, noticing Hosea to be enjoying his conversation with Cripps which made her smile a little, at least things were going awkwardly for them.

“Where is he anyway?”

Nora hung her head, waving her hand for Arthur to follow. He looked uncertain at first but let her lead the way out of the camp and down to the river where sure enough Branwen was seen and a few feet away from the horse Kieran stood, fishing rod in hand. “Mr. Duffy, someone's here to see you.

Kieran looked up, excited by the sound of her voice but his face paled when he recognised Arthur standing next to her and all of a sudden he was scared, “h-hello mister M-Morgan.”

“Arthur's fine, I just wanted to speak with you about Colm-”

“I d-didn't wanna tell 'em honest, but I was gonna die anyway an' Colm's a sick bastard.”

“You're lucky to be alive, but Arthur's not blaming you for any of it… he just wants to know where Colm is.” She gently cupped his face and he calmed at her touch, leaning into the palm of her hand and slowly nodding.

Kieran soon let out a long sigh, truth be told he didn't know where Colm was and even if he had he wasn't sure if he wanted to tell them, last time he did, didn't end so well for either party involved. “I'll leave you boys to discuss matters in private, I need to lie down,” she slowly backed away from them both and they both shared a suspicious glance with one another, clearly both aware of her change in behaviour.

“How long she been ill?” Arthur asked, Colm and the O'Driscoll's could wait.

“Didn't start noticin' it until after a w-week I showed up maybe… she's had her worse days and throws up every now and then.”

“Keep an eye on her for me, look if you know anything about Colm that could help write a letter for me… address it to Arthur Callahan, not Tacitus Kilgore understand?”

“W-Write?”

“Yes.” Arthur sighed, rolling his eyes as he began the march back to camp with Kieran running to keep up to him. “Or get Nora to help you with it.”

“R-Right… I can do that.”

“Good,” Arthur mounted his horse, firmly patting her neck while waiting for Hosea to do the same, “I'll catch ya later then.”

[flamegatorwrites]

Death on Two Legs (Jotaro/Kakyoin)

Chapter: 4/?

Warnings: none

Spoilers: none

A/N: hey y'all! I'm sorry this took like a month to write haha. I've been so busy with school and band and everything. thanks for being patient, though! I promise I'll try to update more, this chapter was just so Hard for me to write because I just felt like it wasn't good? Anyways, pls enjoy :-)

-

Kakyoin nervously straightened out the collar of his shirt. He examined himself in the bathroom mirror. He and Jotaro had decided to hang out today, and he was terrified. He wore his favorite cherry patterned button up over a white T-shirt, paired with some slightly baggy lightwash jeans he'd rolled up at his ankles. He probably looked insane to other people- he definitely didn't look like he was going to be a priest within the next few months (nor did he want to)- but that was the least of his worries.

He and Jotaro had exchanged phone numbers after he'd fallen last week, after finding out they had similar interests. They'd talked every day, eventually deciding upon meeting up at a local arcade to play a new game that was arriving today. Jotaro wasn't too into video games, but Kakyoin had convinced him he would like this one.

To be completely honest, he didn't know if he would like it. Hell, Kakyoin had never even played it before. He just wanted to see someone that wasn't a member of the church. At least, that's what he'd convinced himself.

He didn't want to admit that he just wanted to see Jotaro again. He believed if he told himself he was just tired of seeing the same faces over and over again, he'd be less embarrassed. It wasn't anything other than the fact that he was just worried. He knew the past two weeks haven't been the highlight of Jotaro's life, and he was hoping to help try and make him feel better.

Jotaro, on the other hand, barely managed to get out of bed on time. He slept in 30 minutes later than he was supposed to, only waking up because his phone was ringing in the living room.

He sat up, groggily, and trudged into the living room. He picked up his cell phone, taking it off the charger and checking the caller ID. When the name registered in his mind, he answered almost immediately, hurriedly placing the phone up to his ear.

"Avdol?"

"Okay, I need you to listen closely, Jotaro," Avdol whispered urgently.

"Okay..."

"Polnareff and I have been doing some research, and we've discovered that there's an stand user in your town. He's an American man, and we have reason to believe that his power can manipulate emotions. If you're leaving your home today, please be on the lookout."

"What do I do if I find him?" Jotaro yawned, running his fingers through his messy hair. Deep down, he knew what he would do. He would eat, and hopefully not feel guilty about it.

"Well... we're about to board a flight to Japan. We've discovered something huge, and we can't tell you this over the phone. We currently have one of the workers from the Speedwagon foundation handling Iggy for the flight. For the time being, just... just defend yourself, in any way you can."

"Wait, shit! I am leaving today! Thanks for the help, but I've gotta go."

"Jotaro, wait! Whatever you do, do not let anyone else get inv-"

Jotaro hung up and tossed his phone onto the couch in front of him. He grabbed his discarded black skinny jeans he took off the day before off the floor, sliding them up his legs in record time. He then ran into his room, jumping across his bed and opening a drawer on his dresser, blindly grabbing one of his many plain t-shirts. He put on the deodorant he had placed on top of his dresser and pulled the shirt over his broad shoulders. He shoved his feet into his boots and tied them.

After he brushed his teeth, he grabbed his cell phone off his couch and shrugged on his denim jacket, then grabbed his old, ripped up hat and placed it on his head.

He finally managed to shut and lock the door to his apartment. He jogged down the hallway to the elevator and pressed the button. Thankfully, it opened right away, making his exit at least 2 minutes quicker.

He pressed the ground floor button and waited, anxiously tapping his foot.

He knew Dio was going to start getting stand users ready again, but he didn't expect it to be so sudden. It had only been two weeks since his grandfather's demise, and Dio certainly hadn't been healed from his own critical injuries that quickly.

The elevator opened, allowing him to jog through the lobby and out the main entrance. Thankfully the arcade was only a 5 minute walk away- but he could make it in about 2 minutes if he ran.

He burst into the arcade, out of breath and thankfully not sweaty. The cold air outside helped him that much, even if he was cold. He shivered, the warm air of the arcade hitting him like a punch to the gut.

He locked eyes with Kakyoin from across the room. The different video game themes playing from large, bulky machines that were lined up in rows filled the arcade, along with the dozens of people crowded around a certain spot in the back. The redhead blushed furiously, briskly walking towards Jotaro.

"Sorry," Jotaro coughed. "I had a phone call."

"It's fine! I managed to order us a pizza, and I remembered you liked pepperoni so I just got that."

Kakyoin led Jotaro to a booth near the back of the room, the video game noises growing quieter the further they walked away from the annoying machines.

Why had he agreed to this? He hated being in public, he hated people, and he didn't quite enjoy the loud, repetitive music that seemed to blare through the entire building. Kakyoin just had this influence over him. He couldn't think straight when he was around him, his heart would pound and his head would spin and he just felt so odd. But there was also something... powerful about the smaller man. There was something pulling the two together, like magnets, or like-

Like stand users.

A stand user that could manipulate emotions. That was why Jotaro felt all weird and nervous and anxious- it had to be. He knew there was something off about Kakyoin from the start. The fact that he didn't even look like a priest should've been enough to warn him, but, of course, since he had the emotional manipulation powers he didn't feel like he usually would.

He could always tell when he was in the presence of another stand user. Looking back at the past few times he'd been in contact with Kakyoin, he could remember feeling that faint mental connection he'd felt with the crusaders, with all of Dio's stand users.

Jotaro sat down and eyed Kakyoin suspiciously. He had to admit, the guy had a decent cover. But he saw right through it.

"Is everything okay over here?"

Kakyoin glanced up at the waitress, a look of concern replacing the smile he wore before.

"Uh, are you okay, miss?"

Jotaro looked up at the waitress. She glared down at Jotaro with bright red eyes, the hatred she radiated was almost tangible. Her eyes bore holes into his own, and for once he felt uncomfortable.

"Kakyoin," he said, not breaking eye contact with the woman. "It's been three weeks since my grandfather's death. Couldn't you have at least waited a little longer?"

"What?"

Jotaro began to feel uncomfortable. It wasn't like he normally felt around Kakyoin, this was different. It was the feeling you get when something bad happens at a friend's house, or when someone you know does something absolutely stupid and you can't help but close your eyes and hope it's not real. It festered inside of him, clawing it's way deeper and deeper into his chest.

In an instant, everyone in the arcade was motionless. It was as if someone had stopped time. But he, kakyoin, and the waitress were still moving, the waitress's gaze becoming more and more terrifying. 

"Jotaro Kujo," the woman said, in a voice too deep to be her own. "Lord Dio has requested your company. If you refuse, you will perish."

"JoJo," Kakyoin whispered, "this isn't funny."

"Will you accept this offer?"

Jotaro stared at Kakyoin. There was no way he wasn't a stand user, he knew that much. But was he the enemy? Avdol said the stand user was an American tourist, and Kakyoin didn't really fit that description.

"Star Platinum!"

Just as Star appeared, the woman punched Jotaro- hard enough to draw blood. He felt the familiar sting of an open wound on his cheek, the warm, thick blood slowly dripped down his face.

Kakyoin's eyes darted from Star to Jotaro, then to the woman. He was clearly a stand user, but was he the enemy? Did he even know he was a stand user?

"Jotaro, I think I should leave," Kakyoin said shakily. The woman grabbed a chair and threw it at Kakyoin as if it were as light as a feather. The minute the chair left her grasp, a green tentacle shot out from somewhere behind him, grabbing the chair right before it hit his head.

-

After they found the enemy stand user hidden inside one of the video games, they decided to just go back to Jotaro's apartment. Kakyoin was in shock. He helped fight off the man, but he was so afraid while doing so and Jotaro felt awful. He decided to bring him home and tell him about everything- stands, enemies, even Dio. He told him everything except for his own secret, out of pure shame and self-loathing. 

They had been there for about 2 hours now. Kakyoin wasn't safe anywhere else; there could be a stand user anywhere, and considering he didn't even know he had a stand, Jotaro knew that it would just end in Kakyoin's death.

"So," Kakyoin cleared his throat, "How did I get it? Is it like a disease? It can't be an STD, can it? Oh, no-"

"Good grief," Jotaro huffed. "It's not a disease, and how the hell would you have an STD? Aren't priests, like, virgins or some shit?"

He let out a sigh of relief, then registered what Jotaro said. He blushed, sending a playful glare in his direction from the opposite side of the couch.

"Deacons," he corrected, "and yeah. But it's still scary, like, what if it's airborne?"

"Wait, STDs can be airborne?"

"Well I sure hope not. I've got 3 months left until I can become an actual priest, and that would be a little hard to explain to everyone."

"Well," Jotaro said, "It's not a disease. Have you been shot recently?"

"What kind of question is that?" Kakyoin laughed.

"I guess not then. You must've been born with it, it just fully... awakened today."

Jotaro checked the time on his phone. It was 3 pm. Avdol and Polnareff wouldn't be there for at least 2 more hours if they were taking one of the private jets from the Speedwagon foundation.

"So what's the deal with your... stand?" Kakyoin asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, can I see it?"

Jotaro summoned Star Platinum. The purple figure loomed over the both of them, awaiting Jotaro's command. Kakyoin stared, in awe. He stood up and walked over towards him, his head barely meeting the stand's chest. He neared 9 feet tall, which made even Jotaro himself feel like a child.

"He's kinda cute."

Star did something Jotaro had never seen before- he blushed. He disappeared into thin air. That was... new. Knowing that someone thought his stand- his nine foot tall, beefed up, purple stand- was cute was a bit disgruntling.

He glanced over at Kakyoin, who was blushing again. He picked up his soda and took a long drink- probably to hide his face.

He didn't realize he was staring until his phone rang. He was getting a call from Avdol, which he answered almost immediately.

"Avdol, I ran into the stand user today. He wasn't just able to control emotions. This man could literally possess people."

"Is he dead?"

"No," Jotaro sighed. "But we kicked his ass. He's crawling back to Am-"

"Who is we?"

"Oh..." Jotaro took a deep breath. "So I've met another stand user, and he just found out that he has a stand today. He's got... potential?"

He looked back at the smaller man, who was playing with one of his stand's tentacles. It seemed to have two forms- a more humanoid form, which was good for fighting; and a bunch of tentacles, which were good for a more strategic approach to things.

"Jotaro, what did I say?" He sighed. "I specifically told you not to get other people involved, and what did you do? You got someone else involved. This isn't a game. He could be targeted because of this- killed, even."

"If I wanted a lecture, I'd bring the old man back from the dead."

"Well, actually, that's what I'm calling about."

Jotaro's eyes narrowed.

"What the hell do you mean?"

"Jotaro, your grandfather is still alive."

[ghost-btch]

He Could Be The One~ 5 Seconds Of Summer

(Chapter One: Phoenix)

Prologue was posted right before this on my blog. I would link it but I'm scared it won't show up in the tags if I do.

Rating: literally for everyone lol

Warning: none besides the fact there may be grammatical errors, oops lol

Word Count: 1.6k

Author's note: You can read this also on wattpad, @/raineyC4. I may update quicker on there then here so go check it out on there aswell. This is my first Tumblr Fanfic so this is quite exciting, though I've been making stories on wattpad since 2016. Anyways enjoy the story!!

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

3rd Person P.O.V

   The blue-eyed blonde singer stood right off stage. Her show would start in a few minutes. She was incredibly nervous, like always. She's done this for years but the anxiety is always there. But as clique as it sounds, every time she steps on stage that feeling fades away. She shook herself and prepared to walk on. Then before she knew it, it was her que to walk on.

The big screen on the back "wall" was flashing in black and white, then red "Phoenix". It glitching as it did so to the beat of the song.

That song was ...Ready For It? by Taylor Swift. Phoenix only had about 10 songs of her own out so she did a lot of covers.

"Knew he was a killer first time that I saw him..." Phoenix began to sing trying not to smile to create an effect.

As she sang she danced around the "T" shaped stage to the song. It seemed be choreographed but really she just made them up as she went. She was a true performer.

She wore a black body suite much like Taylor Swift wore during her preformce of the song. But it had more of shorts at the bottom. And it had a few red sparkles. Her hair was slightly curled and she wore crimson red lipstick. Her reddish boots went up to her knees.

When the song came to an end the next song, I Did Something Bad, started to play.

Phoenix loved to preform this song more then even her own songs. She had managed to learn Taylor Swift's original choreography to the song from watching the AMAs preformce over and over again. It was a dramatic performance and Phoenix loved it for that exact reason.

When she finished she was at the very end if the "T" stage in the middle. She laughed and smiled like an idiot looking over the crowd. And starring back at her where around what seemed a thousand people.

"Oh my God! I can't- I can't believe this is my life! Y'all have no idea how much I've dreamed and wished for the chance to do this. I love each and every one of y'all for being here. Whether you wanted to, weather you were bored and went to the nearest concert just because, or you were dragged here by someone else. Just thank you and I hope you guys like the show so far! You seem to be, but are you?" the crowd screamed, "Okay I'm gonna take that as a yes. Anyways she next song's called 'Don't Blame Me' and oh I'm Phoenix!" Phoenix said into the mic.

****

When the song finished she was back in the place she started. A trap "door" under her lowered her to under the stage. There she had to quickly change into the next costume while the ending music of "Don't Blame Me" played to the crowd.

While this happened a red piano was rolled out onto the stage. Phoenix walked out wearing a red sequined top with a red skirt that went to her knees.

She sat down on the little bench and started to play a few keys, "So this I wrote a while back when I was in middle school. I had this friend who I'd geek out with. Eventually I realized I liked him. After awhile I couldn't take it anymore and told him in a note that I practically threw at him out of nerves," she laughed at this, "Then after about a week he gave me a small piece of paper that read 'sorry I just want to be friends'. I was devastated of course, but I just hoped nothing would change. Oh how I was wrong. He never spoke to me again. Here's a song I wrote about a year later."

She proceeded to sing a song called "Let Things Go". It was written so long ago, and she was definitely, definitely, over the kid. But she every time she sang it she felt as if it was a new scar. 'Guess scars don't really ever go away?' She thought one day.

As soon as it finished she started to play another Taylor song, The Moment I Knew.

It of course started on the piano, but when it came to the chorus she stood up. And after the chorus she walked around the stage almost acting out the lyrics.

During the bridge Phoenix looked out into the crowd almost crying as the lyrics said it too.

As it finished ahead gave a soft smile. Just two years ago in her 20th birthday this song became so real for her. She wasn't quite over this scar yet.

She walked back to the piano and when she walked out from behind it she was no longer wearing the skirt, but now a pair of black shorts.

She then jumped up onto the piano and sat on it, her legs dangling off. The music of We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together started to play.

She began singing while still sitting until the "What?" part and acted out the song the rest of the song. Phoenix always had the most fun singing this song, it never got old. And by the end she was sat back on the piano.

"Liked that little costume changed?" Phoenix laughed as the crowd cheered.

She hoped off the piano, "So I was wondering if it was okay for me to do a little something different now? I won't be able to run around though, so there's a negative. But I really think you're gonna lie the positive! Just give me a second, I'll be right back."

She scampered off stage and when she walked back on she held a red guitar in her hands. She walked up to the microphone stand in the middle of the stage right before it extended out.

"So uhh, surprise!" Phoenix said into the mic smiling.

"So how about I play my guitar here for a few songs? I'll take that as a yes. So this first one is an old one. It's from an old Disney show called Hannah Montana. It was definitely my favorite TV show and this was one if my favorite songs. Never thought that eventually I'd laugh at a few lyrics because of someone. No I'm not saying who, though most of y'all probably already know. Anyways hears a song called 'He Could Be The One'!"

"Smooth talkin', so rockin'

He's got everything that a girl's wantin'

Guitar cutie, he plays it groovy

And I can't keep myself from doin' somethin' stupid..." she sang smiling at a few certain lyrics.

The girl completely jammed out to the song like there was no tomorrow. Running around in that one area when she wasn't singing. Yep definitely a performer.

"Well that was fun!" Phoenix laughed.

"Well I think it's time for one where I know y'all will have fun aswell." She said as she started to play "She's Kinda Hot" by 5 Seconds of Summer.

"Surprise!" She said right before singing.

But there was one thing that the girl had yet to find out. It was that, that very band stood only a few yards ahead of her.

The boys were just all hanging out in L.A. with nothing to do. Ashton suggest that they should just go to the nearest concert because why not? So they did. Now they stood towards the back kinda freaking out because someone was singing there song.

Then at the end of the song the music faded into "Babylon", another favorite of the blue-eyed singer.

The girl had so much fun playing this song and the audience loved it. Even the people who didn't know the original singers they still acted as if they did.

****

Phoenix changed into ripped back pants and a while shirt to sing the next few songs, all if which being her's.

Falling For You- a song revealed to be about fictional/celebrity crushes

Me- a song about her excepting who she really is

My Story- a song about her childhood and teenage years

We Don't Care About Anyone Else- a song she wrote about her friends and her, and the fact that they know they're weird but totally okay with that

After adding a leather jacket to the mix she also sang a song by Bea Miller called "We're Taking Over".

****

The last part of the concert was all the songs Phoenix felt was the funniest to sing/dance to.

Blank Space- making sure to point her tattoo of "Darling I'm A Nightmare, Dressed Like A Daydream" during that part.

New Romantics

This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things

Then it came to almost a close:

"Well I'm sorry to say but this is the last song of the night. Thanks to all of you, you've made this a night to remember. And I hope that I was able to make you as happy as you've made me! This last song was my first single I put out. I've always been so proud of it and promised to sing it every show. It's about how my life was back in school, to what I'd hope my life would be, and now it really is. Oh and enjoy the original music video playing on the screen!" Phoenix smiled.

Phoenix danced around and sang like her life depended on it. She never wanted it to end. But unfortunately it did. When she finished she said "Thank you" once more and then ran around the perimeter of the stage to touch as may people's hands as she could. She did a bow and then waved with the biggest smile and went off stage.

~~~~

As the show came to a close the 5SOS boys decided to see if they could surprise the girl they just watch perform. But they had to figure out how to get back stage.

"We don't need another last time something like this happened." One said referring to a certain person.

"Hey!" was Ashton's response.

....

Tag list: @rip-lukes-balsamic @euphoric-swift //just comment if you'd like to be on my tag list//

A/N: try to guess who the person Phoenix likes hehe lol

[my-one-love-is-music]

Be My Player 2? Ch. 13

Here I am back with another chapter! I know that y'all are really going to like this one!

And sorry for taking so long on this update. School and such and not writing for two weeks got this pushed back until now, but it's done and here for your reading pleasure!!! ^.^

Also on AO3!

Keith groaned when his alarm went up. His head pounded with each note of the cheery tune and he fumbled to turn it off. How he managed to wake up with a headache was beyond him. He just hoped that a handful of aspirin would be enough to make the pain go away before work. Having a day long shift was the worst possible thing to deal with while suffering from a headache. Especially since it was a Saturday and there were bound to be a lot of idiot customers.

Reluctantly, he pulled himself out of bed and trudged from the bedroom, phone in hand. He had a few hours before he’d have to leave and he was going to do everything in his power to get this day turned around. Once he was in the bathroom, he sagged against the wall and pulled open the medicine cabinet, grabbing the bottle of pills that were bound to be his lifesaver for the day.

He pulled off the cap and poured two into his palm, popping them in his mouth and swallowing them dry before replacing the bottle in the cabinet.

Keith shuffled down the hall and made himself home in the kitchen, turning on the coffee machine and digging through the cabinets to find something to eat. Even after a full night’s sleep he still felt exhausted and he wasn’t sure if that was because he was coming off a week of studying and exams or because his brain was fixated on his little problem that he was intent on not letting be a problem.

He stared into his cabinets, not really seeing what was there. He knew he needed to make breakfast and he was hungry, but the thought of having to pour a bowl of cereal was even too much. Nonetheless, he pulled down the box of cereal from the cabinet and grabbed a bowl, shaking out enough cereal to fill most of it. He left the open box on the counter and pulled a spoon from his silverware drawer, leaning heavily against the counter as he began to eat.

The aspirin was helping a little bit. The pounding wasn’t quite so rough, but the effect wasn’t what he’d been hoping for. He was just glad that he didn’t have to interact directly with customers. He imagined that couldn’t be easy at all if the servers were feeling even a little bit off or unwell.

Keith finished up his breakfast and poured his coffee into one of the clean mugs that he had. He knew that he was going to regret leaving the dishes for that night, but he really couldn’t bring himself to even consider dealing with them. And when he got back he’d probably just put them off until the next morning anyway so it wouldn’t really matter one way or the other.

Two cups of coffee later, Keith was back in his room, digging around to find his clean black pants and shirt for the restaurant. He changed clothes quickly, giving his teeth a quick brush before he was grabbing his wallet and keys and throwing on a jacket for the walk over to the restaurant. He slipped on his gloves and even managed to dig out a scarf to keep the cold at bay.

He rubbed at his forehead as he walked through the front door to his building, the rush of cold air taking his breath away and sending a sharp stab of pain through his skull. He grit his teeth and forced himself to keep walking. He’d gotten the night off the day before. Linda was trusting him to come into work and take the double shift. He was the one who needed it. He couldn’t afford to miss work and he couldn’t put Linda in that position to find someone else to come in. it was going to suck, he knew that, but he’d just have to deal with it. Everyone had bad days.

Even though he wasn’t looking forward to the busy day ahead of him, Keith was grateful that he was going to be at the restaurant when it opened. It was always so comfortable in the morning. And one of the perks of working at the bar was that he didn’t have much prep work to do other than take down any supplies that they had and which bottles had been opened.

“Doors opening in ten minutes,” Linda said, walking through the dining room to assess that everything was in order. “Servers be ready. The dining room looks good, thank you!” She stopped in front of the bar and flashed a smile at Keith. “Feeling rested, I hope.”

“Sort of,” Keith said with a grimace. “I woke up this morning with a very bad headache, but I’m here and I’m going to be fine.”

She searched his face. “Okay. I’m not going to force you to leave, but if it gets worse I want you to tell me, okay? Working while unwell is one of the worst things to do and I don’t want you to feel like you have to put yourself through that.”

Keith nodded. “I will, Linda. But don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

She nodded once before turning on her heel and heading back towards her office and the kitchen, no doubt to run last minute checks in there to make sure that everybody was ready for the incoming customers.

For most of the morning, he was able to sit back and watch as the customers came in. Occasionally, Keith would look through their supplies and glasses to make sure that everything was in good order, but none of the early diners were ordering drinks. Not that he was bothered by it. The pounding in his head only continued which made the dim restaurant lights seem brighter than they were and the soft music even louder.

He found that he could hardly even handle the soft murmurs of conversation that were coming from the customers.

“Keith, I know that you’re tired, but I really need you to be a little quicker on these drink orders, okay?” Linda asked.

Keith smiled, or tried to smile. He was sure that it was more than a little strained since the worry shining in Linda’s eyes didn’t dim at all.

“I’m sorry, Linda. I’ll get these done faster. I know that it’s not an excuse, but I’m just having an off day.”

She nodded and walked away, leaving him to his work. Somehow, he managed to turn over the drink orders faster, but amidst his pounding head and the scowl that he was surely wearing on his face, there were thoughts of Shiro.

He’d just realized his feelings for him and now they wouldn’t leave him alone. He’d told himself that he could deal with it, but he was starting to think that he wouldn’t actually be able to deal with it. He had to keep his mouth shut, because he was honestly afraid that he might snap at someone who wasn’t doing anything wrong and that would just make things worse.

It was one of the reason he was so relieved to have George coming in for the evening shift with him. Because if it was anyone else who he’d have to deal with, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. He knew that he wouldn’t have made it.

“Afternoon Keith!” George grinned brightly when he slipped behind the counter and began to wash his hands at the sink.

“Ugh, please leave your cheeriness outside. You’re far too happy,” Keith grumbled, setting his newly finished drink at the edge of the bar for pickup.

George grabbed the towel and dried his hands while scrutinizing Keith. “You okay? You look like you’ve had a rough day.”

“I just haven’t had a good day. I’ve had a headache since this morning and nothing has helped.”

“Did you ask Linda about maybe leaving early? I’m sure that I could handle this alone or we could find someone to come in,” he continued, starting in on the next drink order.

Keith shook his head. “As much as I’d like to, I can’t. Linda already gave me last night off because of mid-terms and I really need the money. It’s just a headache, I’m not dying or anything.”

George nodded. “Okay, but if you need an extra break or something, I can cover for you or if there’s anything else…”

“I’m fine alright? And I’ll let you know. I just don’t feel like trying to have a conversation. I don’t have that much mental energy and hearing the conversations from the rest of the dining room is already bad enough.”

“Yeah, sure thing man,” he murmured, focusing in on the drink that he was making.

As crazy and unlikely as it was, George’s agreement to keep quiet managed to dull the throbbing in his head just a little even as his thoughts got pulled back to Shiro.

Keith nearly collapsed with relief by the time the restaurant was closed for the night.

Him and George moved through their close-down procedures quickly, not wanting to take any longer than necessary. It had been a long day even if Keith hadn’t had a headache and been plagued by thoughts of his friend. They were both more than happy to get out of there for the night and Keith wouldn’t have to work until the following evening which would give him time to relax and feel better.

Linda walked up beside him as he was clocking out and shoved a plastic bag in his hands. “The kitchen staff wanted you to take home something to eat. They heard that you weren’t feeling the best today and thought they could help make your night a little easier.”

Keith looked inside the bag, utterly bewildered at the amount of containers that he found inside. It was far more than he was used to getting whenever they chose to give him dinner. “But-“

“No buts,” Linda argued, steering him towards the back door. “Just get home, eat, and go to bed. You look like you could use the rest and I want you to be in better shape before your next shift.”

“Yeah, thanks,” he replied absentmindedly, still staring into the bag while he walked through the back and shoved the back door open.

He walked home in a daze, not even noticing the biting chill that had wrapped around him as soon as he left the warmth of the building. He was so focused on wondering how the people that he worked with could be so nice that he almost forgot about his headache and the reason why his mood had been sour. But there was nothing stopping the thoughts from racing back once he stepped into the silence of his apartment. The silence was so loud and he brought up a hand to rub at his forehead as he moved into the kitchen.

Keith pulled off his gloves and tossed them onto the couch with his jacket as he passed by on his way to the bedroom. His laptop was where he’d left it the night before and he tucked it under his arm as he headed back to the kitchen to look through the food he’d been given and find something to eat.

He set his laptop on the table next to the bag and opened it absentmindedly before pulling the bag towards him. He pulled out the first container and found a generous portion of fettuccini alfredo. The sight of it made his mouth water and he grabbed a fork to take a bite before turning to the other containers.

They’d given him mashed potatoes, spaghetti Bolognese, some extra bread rolls, a huge slice of chocolate cake, and they even threw in a piece of cheesecake. Keith kept out a couple of the rolls and the cheesecake to eat after he finished the alfredo. The rest got shoved into his mostly empty fridge for later.

He finally let himself sit down at the table and was feeling so much better when a notification from his computer had him nearly jumping out of his chair in surprise. Without thinking, he hit the skype box that had popped up in the corner of his computer screen and was met with Shiro’s grinning face. He nearly choked on the food that he was eating.

Shiro frowned. “You okay, Keith?”

Keith stared at him and nearly winced when all of the thoughts and feelings that he’d been feeling all day came rushing back. He opened his mouth to speak, knowing that he needed to respond to Shiro. He had to say something. He’d told himself that he could handle just being friends, but it had only been one day and he was already so tired.

“Keith?” Shiro asked again. “Are you alright?”

Keith swallowed. “I…I uh…”

He stared down at the food in front of him. He thought about the kind workers at the restaurant who were always looking out for him and wanted to make sure that he had something hot to eat. He thought about Linda and how even though she’d chastised him at work, she’d done it with kindness to keep him from feeling worse.

“Keith?”

“I’m sorry!” he blurted. He rubbed the palms of his hands against his eyes, hoping this would be over as painlessly as possible. “I’m so sorry, Shiro. I told myself that I could do it. I told myself that I’d be able to handle it because I really enjoyed having you as a friend, but I can’t do it. I can’t.”

“What is it? What’s wrong? What can’t you do? Keith?” Shiro asked, voice frantic.

“I like you okay?” he admitted quietly. “I like spending time with you and hanging out and being stupid. I think you’re funny and amazing and I was prepared to take my feelings to my grave because I didn’t want to lose you as a friend. I didn’t want to scare you off or make you hate me, but I just can’t. I can’t keep this to myself. So if you don’t ever want to see me again…I understand.”

Silence fell between them. Keith wasn’t sure if he wanted Shiro to say something or if he wanted to let the silence stretch on forever. At least this way, he could pretend that he hadn’t just ruined everything and that they were still friends and it was going to be okay. But he was anxious because he didn’t know how he was going to react. He had no idea what Shiro was feeling. Didn’t know if he was disgusted or anything and couldn’t bring himself to look up from where his gaze was trained on his hands in his lap.

“Keith?” Shiro asked.

Keith bit his lip and fought the urge to screw his eyes shut.

“Keith, look at me.”

He let out a whoosh of air, but felt like the weight of the world was keeping him from lifting his head.

“Keith, look at me. Please.”

It was the please that did it. The hint of desperation in his voice that got Keith to lift his head and look at the screen. Shiro was watching him, eyes flitting around his face. He must’ve found whatever it was that he was looking for because he smiled, softly, a light flush coming to dust his cheeks, even visible through the darker lighting and poorer video quality.

“I’d never be so terrible of a person as to stop being friends with you just because you liked me. But…” Keith fisted his hands in his lap as he waited for the next part of Shiro’s statement. It held so much. Held answers and questions that he didn’t know yet. Waiting for what was coming caused Keith’s heartrate to skyrocket. He would’ve thought that the whole world could hear it as he waited to see if his world was about to be turned upside down or if it would stay the same.

“But,” Shiro repeated, “I like you too.”

Keith felt his world tilt. He thought that he was about to end up on the floor, but he was still upright in his chair even as Shiro continued to talk to him.

“I’ve enjoyed spending time with you. Whether we were gaming or watching movies or just hanging out over skype while we did our homework. It was nice having someone else here with me. I never realized how quickly someone could wedge themselves into my life, but you did. I can’t imagine going back to the days without you even though they stopped mere weeks ago.

“You always seemed so independent. I thought, here’s a guy who’s doing everything himself. Someone who’s working his way through college and is going to have big life plans ahead of him. Someone who’s going to be so successful and have people running after him. I didn’t care if I only got to be with you over skype or by playing video games. Because you were there and being with you was as easy as breathing.

“So this is my way of saying that I like you, too.”

Keith felt lightheaded by Shiro’s admission. And it wasn’t until he realized he’d stopped breathing that he figured out why. He sucked in a breath and sagged back in his chair. Shiro was smiling at him. He was there, but he was also hundreds of miles away.

“So…what happens now?” Keith asked. “I’m not really familiar with how this whole thing works. Are we dating now? Is that what we’re doing?”

“I guess?” Shiro said, chuckling. “To be honest, I’m pretty much as lost as you are. We could watch a movie? I guess that would count as a date. I don’t know what you were doing when I called besides eating.”

“Yeah just eating dinner. I had a really rough day and the cooks sent me home with a ton of food.”

“So dinner and a movie then?”

“Only as long as you don’t pick something sad like that anime you made me watch.”

“I’m tempted to do, just that.”

“Don’t make me dump you, Shiro.”

Shiro’s laugh rang through the speakers as clear as a blue sky after a summer storm. Keith smiled to himself and picked up his fork to go back to eating. For once he was glad that he couldn’t handle the pressure of something. Because this was so much better.